SHILLONG, Nov 21: The NPP seems to have risen above the threats by the Centre-backed state BJP, with a stout-hearted Kharlukhi on Saturday saying, “This is our state and we will decide”.
With the NPP-BJP alliance continuing to go to rack and ruin, the NPP has now moved national BJP president, JP Nadda, and has also alleged a likely connivance of the state BJP with other political forces to “target” the state government. To aggravate the situation further, the NPP has also reached a decision to not invite BJP to the MDA coordination committee meeting.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Saturday, NPP state president, Dr WR Kharlukhi, said, “Few of our leaders recently met BJP national president, JP Nadda, and have reported that the state BJP is working in connivance with somebody, because if you see at the way things are, we are being targeted. I smell a rat and we have informed their party president about this.”
When asked if he is hinting that the BJP and Congress have joined forces, he said, “That is up to you to think. But what is going on? The way things have been moving, it seems they are in connivance with somebody and it is a political mischief”.
On state BJP’s decision to move the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), seeking a CBI probe into the allegations of misappropriation of central funds in the district councils, Kharlukhi said, “They are saying they are going everywhere. First they said they are going to move the Centre and when the Centre did not listen to them they went to Lokayukta to ask for CBI probe. Not only that, now they are saying MHA”.
“They don’t have to go to the Centre; our top leaders have already met the BJP president and have informed him,” Kharlukhi said, adding, “We have decided to not to call them even if we hold a MDA coordination committee meeting”.
Stating that the NPP-led MDA coalition wanted to iron out the differences and had also appreciated the willingness of the state BJP to talk things out, Kharlukhi said, “Enough is enough! Time and again they are doing the same thing and we are not going to call them anymore for the MDA meet”.
“They are loose cannons and we will not tolerate them. We will not allow anyone to throw their weight around we tried our level best to meet and talk,” he added.
The NPP state president also said that since BJP MLA, Sanbor Shullai, is oblivious to the developments and moves made by the saffron party, “it can only mean that there is dictatorship in the state BJP”.
On the allegations about BJP being neglected, Kharlukhi said, “We never neglected them. When Shibun (Lyngdoh) was there as the state BJP president, I was also there for the MDA meetings”.
Stating that select state BJP leaders are ego-driven, Kharlukhi said, “We should respect each other in a democracy but few in the BJP seem to have a lot of ego, which is the problem”.
“For any little thing, they would every time threaten to take the matter up with Centre. This is our state and we will decide,” a resolute Kharlukhi added.