SHILLONG: The MDA’s common candidate from the Shillong Lok Sabha seat and former UDP MLA, Jemino Mawthoh, on Wednesday asserted that his party has no relations with the BJP while admitting in the same breath that it is an era of coalition.
Mawthoh was speaking to media persons after filing his nomination here.
Besides Mawthoh, Independent candidate and former kickboxer Samuel Hashah filed his nomination on Wednesday.
Mawthoh said that though the MDA has two BJP MLAs in its fold, the UDP has nothing to do with the saffron party and had never had any kind of alliance with it.
Mawthoh’s comments on the BJP come in the wake of the Congress accusing the party of fighting a proxy battle in the North East and trying to earn political points using its partners in the NEDA as crutch.
“The Congress doesn’t have anything to speak against the MDA and so they keep on harping about the BJP connect with the alliance,” Mawthoh said. He, instead, sought to turn the tables on the Congress saying there have been instances when the Congress had actually worked in tandem with the BJP in the district councils.
He alleged that the Congress too had earlier supported the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill with former prime minister Manmohan Singh speaking in its favour in the Rajya Sabha. “Even this time, the Congress did not vehemently oppose the CAB in Lok Sabha,” he said.
“You cannot have double-speak,” he said while adding that both BJP and Congress are on the same page on the issue.
Expressing confidence that he would emerge victorious this time with the support of all the regional partners who have come together, he said that in the recently concluded MDC elections, the vote share of the Congress was only marginally higher than the UDP’s.
Accusing the Congress of spreading propaganda that people should not vote for regional parties in national politics, he said that they may keep on harping on this, but there have been leaders like GG Swell who performed exceedingly well in the national arena and even occupied the chair of the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
“GG Swell had proved that he was capable of doing a lot for the welfare of the state whereas MPs from Congress have not contributed anything outstanding,” he said while adding that if elected he could do wonders for the state as a linkman between the state and central governments.
Asked why he was contesting on the UDP symbol despite being a common candidate, he said that the regional parties supporting the MDA have come together as a family and if he had contested on a common symbol, it would have been as good as an independent candidate.
According to Mawthoh, he will fight the elections on the strength of the MDA whether it is development or about the safety and security of the indigenous population.
Talking about the issue of coal mining, he said that people are suffering due to the ban on it and there is a need to address the issue.
On the other hand, Hashah told reporters that concern for the youth of the state prompted him to join politics.
He said resolution of the inter-state and international border disputes was his priority. He was also opposed to the citizenship bill and would like to see improvement in agriculture and a new system in sports.
