Meghalaya chief minister and the president of the National People’s Party, Meghalaya chief minister and the president of the National People’s Party, Conrad Sangma, is leading the party’s campaign from the front to retain the prestigious Tura parliamentary seat, which has remained the stronghold of the party and late PA Sangma’s family for decades. The NPP chief has already made it clear that none in the party is underestimating the rivals. Conrad’s hectic schedule — he is attending 3-4 political meetings and rallies daily in far-flung areas of Garo Hills — speaks for his determination to guard the fortress. He is using chopper on several occasions to campaign in inaccessible areas to seek votes for his sister, Agatha Sangma, who is contesting the election for the third time.Afaque Hussain caught up with Conrad when he was taking a break from a campaign in Garo Hills. Here are the excerpts.
ST: What is your agenda for LS polls in Meghalaya?
Conrad Sangma: We have said it time and again that we are building NPP into a platform for the North East to take the state and region’s issues to Parliament. Our agenda is clear and we are trying to expand the party in different parts and are appealing to the people to vote for us so that we can take up issues related to the people of the North East.
ST: Do you think there is a tough battle since your candidate Agatha Sangma is facing a veteran leader like Mukul Sangma?
CS: Mukul Sangma had contested the Lok Sabha elections earlier when he was the deputy chief minister and even that time, NPP had won with a convincing margin. This time, NPP being a part of the ruling coalition and people seeing the work of this government, we are confident they have huge faith in the party and will vote for us again. Elections are tough and we don’t underestimate any election or opponent and we will work hard but we are also sure that we will win with a huge margin again.
ST: In the past, former Tura MP late PA Sangma had campaigned with the agenda of a separate Garoland state. Is separate Garoland still the agenda of the NPP as the GNC is already supporting your candidate?
CS: We have been clear that development of Garo Hills and every part of Meghalaya is important for us. Some people feel getting a separate state may be one of the ways to do it. For us development is the agenda and we will focus on it.
ST: Your father was the Tura MP for over 30 years. Agatha and you were also elected from Tura Lok Sabha seat. Still, what are the reasons for lack of development in areas under Tura LS constituency?
CS: I think the MP has a role to play in the process but I think ultimately the state government has to act at the ground level. We have seen that past governments, for good or bad, did not give the kind of attention to grassroots development, especially when it came to areas like Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and East Jaintia Hills. These areas were neglected in the past but our government has always believed that we should take everyone along and we should ensure that development is spread out throughout the state.
ST: This is the first general elections without PA Sangma. How are you coping with the situation as there is a heavy burden on you in terms of campaigning?
CS: It is always a challenge and there is no doubt that a personality like PA Sangma was a huge factor for the party. His absence is definitely a very big challenge and we all miss him, but the positive thing is that people have not forgotten him and even today his legacy and ideas remain and people still love him. In this election, many votes are coming because of the love that people have for PA Sangma even though he is not with us.
ST: What is the reason that you could not convince the BJP to support your candidates in Tura and Shillong?
CS: This is exactly the point we are trying to make. An alliance for the purpose of governance is very different from one in terms of seat-sharing. We have been clear that our agenda and ideology, which is for the North East, may differ from other national parties, including BJP, and there are many issues on which we don’t agree but when it comes to governance and development we have a lot of things in common. We are ensuring there is transparency, monitoring, development of infrastructure and we are working with them on economy issues but when it comes to elections we have made it very clear that we are fighting on our own, we have never forged any kind of alliance with them and this election is the same.
ST: Will MDA candidate for Shillong seat, Jemino Mawthoh, make a difference as he takes on sitting MP Vincent Pala?
CS: Absolutely. With this move, non-Congress votes have consolidated and this is a huge opportunity for us to win the seat as anti-incumbency factor is also there. So keeping all these aspects in mind, we are confident of winning.
ST: NPP is contesting the Lok Sabha seats in other states in the North East and Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh. Do you think the party will become stronger after the polls?
CS: That’s exactly our purpose. It may not be so easy for us to come in and expect that we will win every seat. It is a journey and every election is a step to move forward. We are organising the party and reaching out to the people and we are contesting in about 14 seats and this move will have an impact in subsequent years when general elections and legislative assembly elections take place. The step we will take now will have an impact and we do expect positive results from this election.