While the BJP national vice president M Chuba Ao who is also in charge of Meghalaya has made it amply clear that the current BJP state president Ernest Mawrie should resign gracefully for failing on all fronts to promote the interests of the Party, BJP MLA and Minister Sanbor Shullai has other ideas. Clearly Shullai and Mawrie share a comfort zone that could get disrupted should any other person become the Party President. That’s about the real story coated without the embellishments. Shullai claims to have spoken to Chuba Ao to revise his decision to drop Mawrie. He even termed the move to drop the present BJP president from his post as “suicidal,” making it appear that Mawrie is indispensable to the success of the BJP in Meghalaya. This goes counter to the BJP’s prime ideology that individuals are not above the Party. It will be interesting to watch how things unfold henceforth. Mawrie has ambitions to contest the forthcoming elections from West Shillong Constituency and has made this quite clear from his actions within that Constituency. When Mr Ao says that Mawrie has treated the BJP as his private party and insulted aspiring candidates he is speaking from a position of one who knows what’s ailing the BJP in Meghalaya. He must have got adequate briefing from the karyakartas working on the ground.
Having stated upfront all that needed to be said in plain language, it would contravene the BJP Vice President’s stand should he revoke his statement merely because Sanbor Shullai feels otherwise. The BJP prides itself in being a Party of karyakartas or workers whose prime duty is to work at the grassroots to address the concerns of the people and thereby earn their support. If the karyakartas are unhappy with the manner in which the President conducts himself and they have appealed to the higher echelons of the BJP to redress their grievances then it is only proper that their concerns are addressed. That is the task entrusted to the person looking after the affairs of the Party in each state. Mr Ao therefore has to balance things out before they go out of hand.
Meanwhile Sanbor Shullai has asserted that the BJP would do well in 2023 and the MLAs elected would reach the double- digit figures. What the calculations are and where these MLAs will emerge from is anybody’s guess. The BJP is yet to make headway in Meghalaya despite the tall claims. People are still wary of the anti-Christian stances of the Party which are evident from the attacks on Christians and other minorities in other states. Sanbor Shullai’s claims therefore have no merit.
