By H H Mohrmen
The imbroglio in the United Democratic Alliance of the Khasi Hills District Council in which six MDCs withdrew support to the Executive Committee led by Teinwell Dkhar is nothing new; in fact this is expected from a coalition where the regional parties are present. What was not expected was the time factor. Politicians belonging to the regional parties cannot even work together for three months. But this conflict is more than what meets the eye; it could also be a bad omen for the National Peoples’ Party led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance in the state.
What is it with the regional parties that they are always at each other’s throats? Look at the brief history of the budding regional party People’s Democratic Front (PDF). In less than two years after it was established, its own founder leader left the party. The story is similar with Khun u Hynñiewtrep National Wakening Movement (KHNAM). It has folded its flag and its own founder President joined another regional party. In the case of KHNAM some of the founder members are trying to keep the party’s flag flying, but new leaders too are fighting each other and the matter has even reached the High Court. The future of the HSPDP with its former president looks promising but we all know what has happened now. He has done the vanishing act.
The UDP does not have smooth sailing either. It may be reminded that UDP is the third incarnation of what was earlier known as the All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and later morphed into the Hill Peoples Union (HPU). Regional parties like the PDIC, the MDP and in Jaiñtia hills the JNU have become history but it will not be surprising or the time will not be far off when some of the existing regional parties in the state follow the same path of history.
Now it is clear that two months is the maximum time that the politicians who belong to the regional parties can work together in the district council. One may ask why? Regional parties on their own cannot co-exist. It is like having too many male lions in a pride; every leader is an alpha male and a pride cannot have two or more alpha male. This is happening even before the results of the general elections are declared. The result of the Lok Sabha election in which the alliance support a common candidate is yet to be declared but the cracks in the alliance have already appeared.
Once the outcome of the election are known, in Garo hills win or lose the NPP will have no one to give credit to or blame for, but in the Khasi and Jaiñtia hills, if the common candidate wins then that will further cement the alliance. But if unfortunately the MDA common candidate loses then the crack will further widen. The counting day will be the judgement day which will prove to the world whether all the coalition partners of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance really worked hard to ensure that their common candidate wins the Shillong parliamentary seat.
There are already complaints that the common candidate did not have enough funds to even serve tea during the campaign in spite of being the coalition candidate. If a candidate of a coalition which is in the government does not have enough money even for organising campaign meetings, then the question is why is this happening? Did the candidates contesting from other parties face similar financial constraints? In fact money should not be a problem for the coalition which is now running the government.
Now everybody has admitted that illegal transport of coal is a reality and even the SP of Ri Bhoi District did not deny it when he told the press that it is difficult to check every truck plying on the highway. If the Meghalaya police cannot do it, perhaps the government should ask the Assam Police to do the checking like they do on the Jowai-Silchar road just across the Malidor Bridge. On this section of the highway, the Assam Police checkpoint at Malidor does not allow coal trucks to pass through the bridge before dark and of course not before some palms are greased. Only coal trucks are stopped before Malidor bridge while trucks carrying other essential commodities are allowed to pass throughout the day. The Assam Police easily distinguish coal laden trucks from the others.
But it was reported in the press that the Khliehriat Police were compelled to file a suo moto FIR against the attack on police who manned the NGT check point at Tuber Chohchrieh on the May 1 last. After this incident coal laden trucks were not allowed to pass through to Guwahati and now from May 4 and 5 coal trucks were seen returning to the place from where they loaded the coal.
The point is that this is only an excuse. The police do not have to open the trucks to check the consignment they carry which of course will take time. The police should only check if they even have necessary papers to carry the consignment on the trucks. The state is losing crores of rupees due to the illegal transportation of coal, but money does change hands in the process and the question that the public are asking is where does the money go? Who gains from this illegal transportation of coal? The government is grumbling about the financial crisis and says that it cannot even pay teachers’ salary, but everyday crores of rupees which should have come as royalty from coal is being siphoned off by the ghosts of the highway.
Obviously this cannot happen without the knowledge of the government in power. Neither can they feign ignorance about it because it has been reported in the media almost every alternate day, but the way the NPP-led government is handling the issue will further widen the cracks in the MDA. The other question is whether other coalition partners are aware of what is happening and how much is collected by the police? And if they are aware, then are the coalition partners given equal share of the spoils? Or is this a case of the regional parties being taken for a ride by the leader of the coalition Government?
We blame the police every time we see them collecting money from the trucks on the highway, but now that we know the truth behind it, can the blame be squarely put on the police only? Can the people who look the other way when it is happening be let off the hook and not be held accountable for all the mess? The police were emboldened in their act by the Government which does not respect the rule of law. Now this is the situation that we find ourselves in, in Meghalaya.
After the KHADC mess the only thing that acts as the glue that holds the MDA together is the support of the NDA. Without the support of the alliance in Delhi, it would have split and the alliance would have collapsed. But time will tell if the NDA will retain power in Delhi. If there is a change of guard in the national capital and another coalition partner takes charge then MDA will meet its doomsday.