SHILLONG, Feb 7: Himalaya M Shangpliang chose not to toe the BJP line of attacking the MDA government for allegedly indulging in corruption and underlined a united approach to development in the state.
“I will not say the MDA did nothing. There were ups and downs but this is not the time for a blame game. We should work together to ensure development,” he told reporters after filing his nomination papers on Tuesday.
He said the MDA’s performance was a mixed bag.
Shangpliang, who came to the DC’s office with over 3,000 supporters to file his nomination, said people who say the BJP is not acceptable should visit the rural areas to feel the need for a change in the state that has undergone a financial crisis.
Only the BJP can bring about this change, he asserted.
He dismissed theories that MLAs are bought and sold post-elections and refused to comment on the demand by an RSS-affiliated organisation in Assam that wants Christians to be removed from the Scheduled Tribe list.
“The BJP cannot be anti-minority as it has provided so many schemes for the rural poor irrespective of religion and created a ministry for the minorities,” Shangpliang said.
He explained why the BJP has not projected any CM candidate. “A decision in this regard is taken after the elected members sit together,” he said.
Asked why he shifted from Congress to the Trinamool Congress and then to the BJP, he said he went by the wishes of his supporters to be with a party that has a future.
