Congress MLA and leader of the Opposition in the present Meghalaya Assembly RV Lyngdoh has taken a swipe at the Voice of Peoples’ Party (VPP) and predicted that it has a short shelf life and will go down the way of other regional political parties that have disappeared into the sands of time. For a Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly who should be seeking to build consensus among the parties sitting in the opposition benches, this statement smacks of political arrogance. It is not understood as to what triggered this hyperbole from the Congressman unless he feels that his party is likely to face tough competition from the VPP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2023. If the Congress could win only 5 seats in the Assembly elections held this year and the VPP – a late entrant could get 4 seats it is blasé for the Congress MLA to speak about his rivals with such nonchalance.
The VPP is currently on a membership drive wooing voters across the length and breadth of the Khasi-Jaintia Hills as a counterpoint to the national political parties. Different states in this country have shown time and again that regional parties have their own unique selling point (USP). States like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh have demonstrated that they don’t need to join the bandwagon of national political parties. In any case the Congress has now realised that it is impossible to win the Lok Sabha election on its own strength, especially when pitted against the BJP and that is the reason for the formation of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A). RV Lyngdoh should have learnt from his party leaders to extend the hand of friendship to parties opposed to the BJP, to build a strong anti-BJP Alliance in Meghalaya. But this is expecting too much from politicians that prefer to ride their high horses and lack the statesmanship that is required to drive a state. In fact, statesmanship disappeared from Meghalaya with the demise of JJM Nichols Roy, Hoover Hynniewta, BB Lyngdoh, SDD Nichols Roy and PA Sangma. They had a vision for Meghalaya and tried to lay out that vision. BB Lyngdoh proposed the cadastral survey because he foresaw that Meghalaya needed to know its boundaries and have a robust land record so that there is no cause for boundary disputes. His proposal was shot down by his own colleagues whose vision did not extend beyond their noses.
Such statesmen have been replaced by avaricious politicians serving their private interests. If there is some semblance of development in Meghalaya today it comes from the crumbs that fall off the high table. It is said that prudence is antithetical to excitement. RV Lyngdoh seems to have spoken in a fit of excitement and forgotten prudence. The VPP is meanwhile making its own strides.
