By Patricia Mukhim
A couple of days ago the young and eligible bachelor MLA of Mawhati, the 29 year old Dasakhiatbha Lamare drove a spanking brand new red Lamborghini through the city leaving every person who saw it flit by with a silent gasp. It was a gasp of pleasure and pain (but not envy though). Pleasure to see a thing of beauty and a sigh knowing fully well that we can never, in our wildest dreams afford such an extravaganza in our lifetime. But what the hell? We can still hope to get a lift or should I say ‘a royal ride’ in that Lambo someday. For many of our youth though, Lamborghini has given them ideas and tickled their imagination. And guess what is the shortcut to acquiring that sort of worldly luxury? A combo of Business and Politics of course! Which other profession would yield so much in so short a time? Unless one sits and trades in crypto-currency!
Dasakhiatbha Lamare comes from a business family. His father, the former MLA, Ngaitlang Dhar is a co-owner of the Dhar Brothers Construction Co Pvt Ltd which is engaged in construction of the bulk of roads and highways in our State. Right now the road leading to NEIGRIHMS and to thence on to the Shillong by-pass is under their watch. And there are many other road and bulding projects across Meghalaya. Funnily Dasakhiatbha Lamare who is currently the Transport Minister is yet to complete the much touted Inter-State-Bus Terminal (ISBT). Until September 18, 2021, his uncle Sniawbhalang Dhar was the Transport Minister. In July last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated an incomplete ISBT.
Dasakhiat took over the Transport Department from his uncle on September 19, 2021 (it’s all in the family, mind you) and the ISBT is still non-functional. The Rs 48 crore project partly funded by the North Eastern Council was sanctioned in 2013 and is built on a plot measuring 53,041.74 square metres. The work started way back in 2014 with the deadline for completion being set for September 2017. It is now March 2022 and the project is still not operational. But then this is how Meghalaya has performed with every single project. Not a single project is completed within the deadline. Anyway, let’s leave the unfinished projects for another day. Today we are doing a case study of an MLA who represents a sickening level of affluence and his journey in politics.
The Association for Democratic Reforms which keeps a sharp eye on the assets of MLAs and MPs and their wealth ranking after being in politics for five years, had in 2018 stated that the top three richest MLAs are Metbah Lyngdoh of the UDP with assets worth over Rs 87 crore, Dasakhiatbha Lamare from NPP with assets worth over Rs 40 crore and Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar from HSPDP with assets worth over Rs 29 crore. (Northeast Now, March 4, 2018). Metbah Lyngdoh is an established businessman and owns several Maruti vehicle retail outlets among other businesses. For most businessmen/women in Meghalaya, politics is also a way of gaining VIP status which business can never bestow no matter how rich a person is. And VIP status is a much- desired status in Meghalaya. But politics is also where wealth is consolidated.
What is a bit of a shocker is how a 25 year old Dasakhiat was already worth 40.37 crores with no liabilities. That is why he is a good case study of a businessman- politician who by now might have crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in terms of his wealth ranking. In 2018 he owned 15 vehicles of which 7 are tipper trucks besides a BMW worth 72.38 lakh at the time. He owns several Boleros, Scorpios and what have you. Now at 29 years, it is but natural that the next level after a BMW can be nothing less than the best – a Lamborghini (Price Rs 3.15- 6.25 crore). What surprised me is that his election expenses in 2018 was a measly Rs 5.09 lakh. Clearly the Election Commission of India and the State Election Commission are both blind and deaf to the blatant use of money power during elections. Either that or they don’t have the basic wherewithal to use their third eye to get the Arithmetic right.
It is against this flood of money power that election 2023 will be fought and won. The question is whether Meghalaya can have yet another five -year term run by an oligarchy comprising a few tribal elite families. Is this what the founding fathers and mothers of the State of Meghalaya fought for? That a few wealthy families rule over the large majority who are overwhelmed by under-nutrition, malnutrition, anemia, mothers dying at childbirth, children dying at birth and within 5 years of their birth. Above all, this is a state that ranks 5th in poverty levels among all the states in India. Is this something to be proud of? And can we continue to rattle these statistics at panel discussions and seminars without doing anything about them? Those who rule this state and will be ruling it in the future don’t care about these statistics because they are all an affluent lot and have forgotten to spell “poor” and “poverty.” They don’t walk on the poorly constructed roads and don’t go to the unreached villages so they don’t even know what it means to be poor and landless!
In his last article, Dr HH Mohrmen had stated upfront that we should all fight this tide of money power in politics. Those who are passionate about this state must contest the Assembly elections 2023 and all of who care enough must get out there to defeat this shameless display of wealth and opulence by reducing people to beggars who will be given a couple of thousand rupees before polling day only to suck their lifeblood for the next five years. There are many young people who are pessimistic about the present state of affairs. They will have to form a cohort that will not join the bandwagon of picnickers who are sucked into the vortex of merry-making during the election season.
There is so much to deconstruct about our political legacy. How did it turn so vile and indecent that politicians dare to flaunt their wealth before a people shriveled by stark poverty? Until about 15 years ago there were some standards of behaviour to make one accepted as a member of society. At that time politicians did not lie so outrageously; they would not have denied the fact of illegal coal mining and the use of the Department of Mining and Geology and Transport to cover up tracks and make us believe that coal is imported to Meghalaya from outside the state. Do these ministers and officers of the MDA Government think we are so congenitally stupid and utterly depleted of our thinking capacities? Of course, they would be delighted if we were to become unquestioning robots and bozos. It is difficult for us to adjust to this low life reality.
Thankfully some new political parties with some promising young leaders are offering us an alternative political discourse. It is important to tell people that they are being robbed of their and their children’s future when they accept money for voting a candidate, any candidate. A candidate that wants to serve his/her constituents does not need to pay money to anyone. Period.
Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that Dasakhiatbha Lamare is shifting from Mawhati to Nongkrem to give the likes of Lambor Malngiang, Ardent Basaiawmoit, Bindo Lanong et al a run for their money. Nongkrem will be an interesting constituency to watch. Will the man with the Lambo turn the tide in his favour or will the underdog win the day?