SHILLONG: A day after the state BJP offered NPP to leave MDA, NPP state president WR Kharlukhi has hit back by asking the saffron party to draw their strength from within the state by winning elections and not from the Centre.
Both parties, which are allies in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre as well as the MDA, are of late having heated arguments over issues of corruption and illegal transportation of coal.
Kharlukhi pointed out that BJP president, Ernest Mawrie had threatened to pull out from the MDA while the Health Minister and BJP MLA, AL Hek, in an interview, had said that the matter was never discussed with them and later they took a U-turn.
“Now, Bernard Marak is saying that they want to stick to the MDA coalition and is blaming the NPP. This has got to be the biggest joke of the century,” Kharlukhi said even as he recalled that he had earlier told the BJP president to bring the matter to the MDA for discussion “but he did not listen.”
“At least good sense has prevailed now that they will remain in the MDA,” he added.
Stating that he welcomes the decision of the BJP to discuss the problem in the MDA forum, Kharlukhi said the BJP was always critical about the “Congress culture of the high command”.
Kharlukhi said, “The state BJP, in every press briefing at the drop of a hat, always talks about the Centre.”
“The Centre to me is Delhi. It seems the BJP is also following the same culture of the high command of Congress,” he added.
“Their high command will come and go. Today they might be in power at the Centre, tomorrow they might not be… Therefore, they should know that their strength comes from the people of Meghalaya,” he said.
Reacting to the BJP reference of the Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong as to “what post he holds other than the deputy chief minister in the MDA,” Kharlukhi said, “I like to inform Ernest that Bah Prestone is a five-time MLA winning consecutively”.
“He is not just a deputy chief minister of the state but he is also the national vice-president of NPP and he has never lost an election, not to talk about losing security deposit,” he added.