SONGSAK, Feb 9: NPP national president and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday campaigned across the Songsak constituency with Deputy Speaker Timothy D Shira to seek support for party candidate Nihim D Shira, who is pitted against TMC stalwart Mukul M Sangma.
Speaking at a gathering in Songsak, the CM said Mukul Sangma’s ego is very big that he chose to quit Congress and join TMC after Vincent H Pala was elected the MPCC president.
“Congress was a strong opposition and debated with us (NPP) in the Assembly. But fission weakened Congress. There is practically no opposition in the state with many from the TMC joining other parties,” he said.
Claiming that NPP is a platform for the tribals of Meghalaya and the rest of the country founded by the late PA Sangma, he sought the people’s support to further strengthen the party. He urged the voters of Songsak to be with the NPP candidate Shira.
“We will form the government in Meghalaya with full majority,” the CM asserted.
“We don’t have to think much for the upcoming election. It is very clear that NPP is coming back with a thumping majority,” he said.
At Dagal, the CM said the NPP-led government’s determination to maintain the momentum of growth helped it overcome various challenges during the COVID pandemic.
He said the MDA government delivered development-based politics and served the people of the state with utmost dedication.
“In the last five years, the government could do much more than what could be achieved in the preceding 20-30 years. The NPP government has constructed a record number of roads across the state,” he added.
He also said that in 45 years of statehood, only 4,500 households in the state’s rural areas had piped water connection but the NPP-led government provided the facility to more than 3 lakh households in the last three years under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The CM claimed the NPP-led government accorded the utmost priority to holistic development in the public interest. Each MLA was given the authority to decide what work was to be initiated on a priority basis.
“Our MLAs were CMs in their own constituencies. We decentralised the powers as we wanted the public representatives to be able to decide what best is required for their constituencies,” he asserted.
He lamented that Mukul Sangma failed to approach him and hence nothing much could be initiated in Songsak. However, Shira continuously engaged with him and ensured that different development and welfare programmes were rolled out in the constituency, he said.
The CM castigated Mukul Sangma for neglecting the people of his constituency merely because of his ego and political differences. He said MLAs, irrespective of their parties, should engage and collaborate with the ruling party.
Shira is seeking a mandate from the voters on the issue of local identity. He said Mukul Sangma betrayed the people of Songsak and it is time for them to reject him.
“People of Songsak gave him the mandate but he chose Tikrikilla. Why should the people of Songsak vote for an outsider? It is time that the people of Songsak repose their faith in the son of the soil,” Shira said.
