By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The slanging match between the NPP and BJP continued to escalate as NPP president, WR Kharlukhi has described the BJP State president, Ernest Mawrie as “tin-pot dictator” and dared him to withdraw from the ruling coalition.
In a retaliatory statement on Saturday Kharlukhi took a pot shot at Mawrie saying, “It seems the BJP is heading towards tin-pot dictatorship.”
The relationship between the NPP and BJP have soured in past few days over the corruption charges levelled against the ECs of JHADC and GHADC which are ruled by the NPP. The BJP supremo also had said they may even pull out of the coalition.
Not ready to backdown, Kharlukhi retorted, “I dare the BJP State president to withdraw from the alliance if he is so convinced that we are so corrupt.”
He insisted that the matter should have been discussed within the alliance before going to the media.
“They could have brought it to the notice of the alliance. What is there to hide,” an agitated Kharlukhi said.
The NPP state president said that BJP minister AL Hek and others in the party were not even aware about the move of the party president and observed that Mawrie was on his own trip.
He asserted that he would not resign as the party president since he had not committed any crime. Terming the move of the BJP as “very sad” move, he added that if the BJP had brought the matter to the alliance, they could have discussed the matter in detail within the alliance.
The BJP and NPP which were working in coordination with each other ever since they come back to the power suddenly saw sour relations when the BJP state president accused the NPP-led ECs of both JHADC and GHADC of indulging in corruption worth crores.
The charge however has been vehemently denied by the National People’s Party and the Executive Committee of the JHADC only admitted to diverting funds meant for development towards disbursement of pending salaries.
Observers here said that in the war of words between two coalition partners, the core issue of corruption raised by BJP was getting relegated to the background.
Mawrie’s charge against the District Councils of misappropriation of central funds has remained unaddressed so far.