Shillong, Jan 5: Former National People’s Party (NPP) MLA from Phulbari constituency, S.G Esmatur Mominin along with former MLA Robinus Syngkon joined the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) during a joining-cum-poll campaign launch ceremony of the party here today.
Robinus Syngkon is also a sitting Member District Council (MDC) in Jaintia Hills.
“There are several factors that have led me to join the AITC. I was very much with the NPP-led government in Meghalaya in the last four-and-a-half years but I was not happy in many of the cases with the way of functioning of the State government,” said was denied poll ticket by the NPP recently.
Pointing out that he had many a time raised the issue of the Ad hoc teachers and the plight of the SSA teachers in the State Assembly, he said that he even met the Chief Minister and the Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on numerous occasions but all of it went unheard.
He said he was also unhappy about the way the State government went about the inter-state boundary disputes resolution process.
“All of these really annoyed me and hence have decided to join the AITC,” he said.
Asked why AITC of all the parties, he said, “There is a craze among the people of Garo Hills for the party since Dr Mukul Sangma is leading the party. People are very happy the way he had functioned when he was the CM and since he is now in the AITC people are happy and I am also joining due to Dr Mukul”.
On whether he will be able to retain his seat, he said, “The way I have tried to develop Phulbari in the last four-and-a-half years and the way the voters of the constituency have supported me, I am very sure that I am going to retain the seat”.
When asked about his reaction to the NPP denying him poll ticket, Mominin said he did not know the reason for it but the most important fact is that that he was unhappy with the functioning of the NPP-led government.
Stating that the way talks are doing rounds in Garo Hills about misutilisation of funds and corruption, he said the NPP would have to be satisfied with five seats only in the next Assembly polls while the AITC will emerge as the single largest party in the Garo Hills region.
He further said that based on the inputs they have, the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will have to work very hard if he as to retain his constituency next election.
During the programme, the AITC also launched ‘MYE card,” under which the party if voted to power will guarantee 3 lakh jobs over the next 5 years and provide a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to all unemployed youth (21-40yrs)