SHILLONG, Jan 16: As many as five sitting MLAs from other parties will be formally inducted into the United Democratic Party (UDP) on Wednesday, party president Metbah Lyngdoh said on Monday.
The five sitting MLAs are suspended Congress MLAs PT Sawkmie (Mawlai) and Mayralborn Syiem (Nongpoh), Trinamool Congress MLA Shitlang Pale (Sutnga-Saipung), HSPDP MLA and Cabinet Minister Renikton L Tongkhar (Mawkyrwat) and Independent legislator Lambor Malngiang (Nongkrem).
The five MLAs are likely to resign from the Assembly on Wednesday morning before formally entering the UDP camp.
The UDP chief said the names of the five MLAs would be included in the third list of candidates.
Metbah also disclosed that the party has got candidates in at least 15 more constituencies.
UDP to document events of Hill State Movement
The UDP is set to constitute a committee to document the important events of the Hill State Movement.
The committee, which will comprise UDP leaders, research scholars and statehood leaders and volunteers, will record the events in a book, the party president said.
Speaking at a programme at the UDP office where some statehood leaders and volunteers were felicitated by the party, Lyngdoh said this initiative is needed as there is no book that focuses on the events of the movement.
“There are many books on Meghalaya’s statehood but I have not come across any specific book on the struggle of the Hill State Movement,” he said.
According to him, this initiative should have been taken earlier as it is important to document the historical events. “The statehood leaders and volunteers can share their real experience and untold stories. These will be captured in the form of a book. It is still the right time to take up this initiative and this has to be done now,” the UDP chief stated categorically. He said the committee will be formed as soon as the Assembly elections are over. He lamented that many youths of the present generation are not aware of the sacrifices made by the statehood leaders and volunteers which ensured statehood for Meghalaya.
“The book on statehood movement will allow the youth to understand the contributions made by the statehood leaders,” Lyngdoh said.
He revealed that the party initially received the names of more than 300 statehood leaders and volunteers.
“The number was reduced to less than 300 after we had properly screened the names. We felicitated around 40 of them today. Majority of them, who hail from West Khasi Hills, could not attend the programme but we will felicitate each one of them in the days to come,” the UDP president said.
Four statehood leaders – AS Mawlong, LR Lyngdoh, P Marwein and S Nongbri – shared their experiences of the movement.
Mawlong expressed resentment that many statehood leaders and volunteers have not got the recognition they deserved. The prominent leaders of the movement from the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region have not been given their dues, he lamented.
“We have seen that a university and a stadium have been named in memory of leaders from the Garo Hills region. But none of the important infrastructures has been named in memory of our leaders like Prof GG Swell, BB Lyngdoh, Edwin Bareh and so on,” Mawlong said.
UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh, its general secretary Jemino Mawthoh, MLAs Lambor Malngiang and Renikton Lyngdoh and family members of the statehood leaders and volunteers were also present.
Meghalaya celebrated the golden jubilee of statehood last year.
