SHILLONG, Jan 12: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday ruled out the possibility of anti-incumbency hurting his government’s prospects to come to power in the upcoming Assembly polls.
Talking to reporters, he outlined that anti-incumbency is at two levels.
According to him, the anti-incumbency is at the candidate or MLA level and at the overall party level.
He claimed he worked to ensure development from the government level and also oversaw fruits of good work reach to people from the party side as the head of the leading partner of the government.
“We see a lot of positivity. So I don’t see any kind of extreme anti- incumbency that is there in the government. Of course, expectations are always there. And we cannot fulfill all expectations,” Chief Minister said.
Sangma further said that the NPP-led MDA Government has done far better than what lot of people would have expected especially keeping in mind the Covid-19 challenges. “So I do not see any major issue as far as anti-incumbency factor is concern,” Conrad said.
On the document that highlights what was promised by NPP in 2018, Sangma said that it is a document which they are calling promises delivered.
“And if you go through the document in detail, you will get all the records from it and that there are issues we had mentioned and the promises that we had made in 2018. Whether it is about the border issue, whether it is about improving the overall infrastructure and the education system, and investing in the education system, whether it’s about road connectivity, whether it’s about water connectivity, whether it’s about overall health areas,” he said.
He further said that in every area where we have promised and we have put certain deliverables in the manifesto or the vision document in 2018.
“You will see that we have really worked towards achieving those goals in the last five years. And many of those goals have been achieved and objectives have been delivered,” he said.
According to him, a lot more has to be done and of course it’s a process.
“We cannot say 100% work is done. But in almost every area huge strides forward have been made in almost all the deliverables,” he said.
When asked that there is a feeling that this time round the CM should come from Khasi-Jaintia Hills region, he said that the MLAs has always been very clear whatever the results that come out.
“The MLAs will decide, so it’s a democratic process. There’s nothing to say that it has to be from a certain tribe or it has to be from a certain caste or a certain religion. It’s a pure democratic process. So whatever democracy process moves forward and democratically who ever the MLAs elect will become the CM,” Sangma added.
On lifting of the ban on coal mining, Chief Minister said that it was during the MDA time that the ban was lifted.
“That in itself is a big, big step forward. In the past, the government did not take any steps to lift the ban. It was a failure on part of the past government to just wait and watch and allow the situation to deteriorate,” he said.
According to him, it was this government that came in and fought the case in the Supreme Court and the ban was lifted.
“And of course, conditions were laid seeing that scientific mining and processes have to be followed and hence those processes have been followed,” Sangma said.
On the inter-state border issue, Chief Minister said hat they have been talking to the government of Assam every now and then.
“But of course, elections now are around the corner. And so obviously, during the election time, it may not be possible for us to meet them. But of course discussions and talks will continue and whatever level and whatever time that we get,” Sangma said.
He further reiterated that the present government has shown a commitment towards it by going ahead with the first phase where six areas were resolved.
“Even though it was criticised by many people, we realised that we need to move forward with this. And that commitment is a proof that we are serious about this issue. When I say that we’ll take it up to the next government if the people of the state give us the opportunity and I mean it,” the CM said.
