SHILLONG, July 18: All is not well within the Voice of the People Party (VPP) which sprang a surprise by winning four seats in the last Assembly elections in February.
Cracks have begun to appear in the VPP with reports suggesting that a section of leaders is being sidelined by the party’s top leaders.
The top leadership is not very happy with some leaders who flagged some pertinent issues afflicting the state before the media without due approval. The party leadership wanted only a selected few to speak to the media.
North Shillong MLA, Adelbert Nongrum is among those sidelined. He was very vocal in his first term as an MLA. He was the one who had stressed that the job reservation policy needs to be reviewed.
However, he became quiet after joining the VPP with party president, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, taking the centre stage. Besides Basaiawmoit, two other leaders who address the media are party spokesperson, Batskhem Myrboh and general secretary, Ricky AJ Syngkon.
There were occasions when party vice president, Kara Chen addressed the press. Three MLAs not in the limelight are Nongrum, Brightstarwell Marbaniang and Heaving Stone Kharpran.
It is learnt the party leadership was unhappy with Nongrum for speaking to the media on his own to point out discrepancies in the new Office Memorandum on the roster system.
Not only this, he had also demanded uniform medical reimbursement for government employees. But his decision to speak to the press has backfired. He has been totally sidelined.
Insiders said the party MLAs were kept in the dark when some leaders visited Tura recently. Not only this, the North Shillong MLA never appeared in any of the recent meetings of the party where new members were inducted.
Nongrum refused to comment when contacted.
Party leader Mayborn Lyngdoh has been also sidelined after he told a local news channel during an interview that he is ready to contest the Lok Sabha elections if there is an offer from the party.
The VPP leadership was apparently not very happy with this interview, for soon after it, the party named Syngkon as its candidate for the Shillong seat in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
However, party sources questioned what made the leadership rush to announce the candidature of Syngkon when the party’s election committee is yet to discuss the matter.
Despite several attempts, VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh did not respond to the phone calls.
