SHILLONG: Former chief minister and Congress candidate from Tura Mukul Sangma feels that the National People’s Party has taken over the space meant for UDP and other regional parties and they should now ponder whether to align with the Congress or continue with NPP.
Speaking to media persons, Sangma said that all the regional parties in the state are fighting for their space while NPP has replaced them and emerged as the main opponent of Congress in Garo Hills.
“They should understand the nuances and ground realities of politics and judge whether they should align with the Congress or others as among themselves, they will always have rivals to capture the space,” he said.
Stating that every electoral battle has a lot at stake, he added that Congress in Meghalaya has faced many ups and downs and prior to 1999, the party had projected late PA Sangma as the undisputed leader in Garo Hills, but after he left, the Congress had to start from scratch and in 2003 it formed the government which continued till 2008.
“Irrespective of the ups and downs, Congress was always there and it will always be there,” he said
Meanwhile, the former chief minister also said that it is important for the people of the state and the region to understand how BJP has deployed its agents who are working to weaken the Congress.
He also said that BJP tries to find weaknesses of the people while citing the example of Assam Cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for whom Saradha and Louis Berger cases are no longer an issue after he joined the saffron party.
He also said that people should vote for a pro-people government, which is acceptable to all and a government which imposes one idea on them and does not care for their sentiments should be thrown out.
Pro-Garoland body supports Mukul
Nikman Ch Marak, the chairman of the Garo Hills State Movement Committee, has decided to support Congress’s Mukul Sangma in the upcoming elections.
Marak said on Friday the decision to support Mukul was his and not the committee’s.
Chokpot MLA Lazarus M. Sangma on Friday also held a meeting at Ruga Doni Bajar under Chokpot constituency.
Nikman, during his speech in the meeting, said Purno A Sangma raised the issue of separate Garoland only once in Parliament and remained silent after that.
“Last election we supported NPP but this time we will not support NPP candidate Agatha Sangma as her father late Purno A Sangma lied to us. We will not allow them to fool us again,” Nikman said, adding that if NPP wins, “there will be a danger to the people of this region as NPP is a coalition partner of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre”.
Nikman was speaking in reference to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
