Leslee keeps Cong away from ‘Nilmoni’ barb

TURA: Former South Tura MLA John Leslee K Sangma has clarified the ‘Nilmoni’ remark he made of NPP candidate Agatha K Sangma terming it a personal comment adding that anything else read into it would simply be a play on semantics.
Coming up close and personal, Leslee absolved the Congress of any role in the act and said that in an age where the personal is political, he was merely exercising his freedom of speech keeping in mind Agatha’s absenteeism in Parliament.
“It is my personal feeling and it was done to express my disappointment in the representative who let Garo Hills down. I have given the name ‘Nil-Moni’ to the former MP who represented Garo Hills for seven years in Parliament for her complete lack of responsibility and accountability to the voters by not attending the Parliament sessions and for bunking 51 per cent of the sittings and giving zero performance in all her duties,” stated John Leslee in a rejoinder. Leslee emphasised that the word, entirely his own, has been coined from two words- ‘Nil’ meaning zero and ‘moni’, a common name for a girl in Garo Hills. This compound coinage ‘ Nil-moni’ is far removed from `Neel moni’, the fabled jewel of Indian mythology, added the erstwhile legislator.
Leslee also said the Congress is a very old and respected party which can face this election on its own and him giving support to the Congress candidate is only a vindication of his faith as an ordinary citizen in the former Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma’s abilities.