SHILLONG, Feb 4: With less than a month to go for the elections, the NPP appears to be the favourite punching bag not only of rival parties but also its coalition ally UDP.
UDP candidate from Mawlai constituency, Process T. Sawkmie on Saturday heaped the entire blame for the ‘misrule’ of MDA on NPP adding fuel to speculation that UDP may not do business with Conrad Sangma and company.
Sawkmie said, “We have seen there is an anti-NPP wave among the people. If we work with the NPP, it will be like we are betraying the people,” the UDP candidate from Mawlai constituency said.
While talking to reporters after filing of nominations here, Sawkmie said that the party leadership has been making statement to the effect that post-poll, they will neither work with the NPP nor TMC.
He targeted the NPP over the fiasco of Mawlai killing and mishandling of the teachers’ stir.
“Why should we work with the NPP? We have seen how people have suffered in the past five years under the NPP-led MDA regime though I am not the president of the party, so I cannot decide with whom we should work,” he said.
The UDP candidate said that personally he is very much against working with the NPP to form a new dispensation after the polls.
“My personal view is that it is better to sit in the Opposition than to align with the NPP. We need to review our relationship with the NPP since the people want a change,” he said.
Sawkmie said that the TMC is almost the same since Mukul Sangma who was the CM during the Congress Government is also leading the West Bengal-based political party in the State.
“People have suffered and faced difficulties when Mukul Sangma was the CM. Mukul was against ILP when he was in power. The same man when he is no longer in power is harping on the same issue. This only proves his double standard,” he said.
When asked how UDP can wash its hands off since it is equally guilty of the wrongdoings of the MDA regime in the past five years, he said that it is important to understand it is the NPP that led the government unilaterally took major decisions.
According to him, it is either Chief Minster or Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong who is calling the shots even on departments that three of the UDP Ministers are holding.
Citing an example, he said Education Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui told the agitating teachers that the government does not have funds to comply with their demands.
“But the same teachers were assured by the deputy chief minister to attend to their demands. This only shows that the UDP ministers do not have any control over their departments,” Sawkmie pointed out.
He also said that the Home Minister was not consulted when the police had raided the house of the former HNLC general secretary.
According to him, this raid was carried out under the directive of the Chief Minister.
It may be recalled that Sawkmie had recently resigned as an MLA to contest from the UDP.
