By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 20: Ahead of the Assembly polls, the Meghalaya BJP is unhappy with many vistaraks (expansionists) and their activities.
Earlier this week, the party discussed the role of these vistaraks at its core committee meeting.
The BJP vistaraks assist and oversee the formation of Mandal and booth-level committees. But it has been observed that some vistaraks have been attending Mandal committee meetings and also giving lengthy speeches besides introducing themselves as election in-charge.
These violate the party’s guidelines, BJP leaders said.
The core committee noted how some vistaraks went to the extent of promising party tickets to aspiring candidates and financial assistance from the party’s election funds.
It was also brought to the notice of the core committee that some vistaraks have promised central political appointments to various institutions.
The BJP core committee was also told that some party ticket aspirants were asked to report to the vistaraks at a five-star hotel in Guwahati for reasons best known to them, without the knowledge of the state president.
The state BJP is also disappointed that some vistaraks, especially women, are travelling across Meghalaya, ignoring their safety.
Taking strong note of the activities, the core committee decided to caution the vistaraks to confine themselves within the state office premises.
The committee also felt that all non-Khasi and non-Garo vistaraks should be immediately withdrawn from the rural areas as they are impacting the indigenous population “negatively”.
According to the resolution, the aspiring candidates, party workers and sympathisers in most cases raised concerns and objections to the presence of the paid vistaraks in rural areas.
During the 2018 Assembly election, the vistaraks assigned were familiar with the local languages, which helped ease the workload of the party in the state. The committee has proposed the same for the upcoming elections.
The committee also noted that the vistaraks have been keeping all election-related materials at Shillong’s Assam House where they are stationed – instead of distributing them across the state.
A similar problem is being faced in the Garo Hills.
The core committee decided that the activities of the vistaraks should be restricted to the development of the organisation through the formation of Mandals and booths.