By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 19: The National People’s Party (NPP) on Tuesday dismissed the charges of BJP about lapses in the implementation of central schemes in the state as “untrue”.
“Tell me which projects have lapsed so we can take corrective measures. Frankly speaking, there are no lapses at all,” Cabinet Minister and NPP working president Marcuise Marak claimed, reacting to the charges levelled by Tura MDC and BJP vice president Bernard Marak.
“When you cannot point out anything and simply say there are lapses, we cannot believe that,” the minister said, adding, “If you go to Garo Hills, you will see lots of central projects.”
Marak predicted that sitting MP and NPP candidate Agatha Sangma will win next year’s Lok Sabha polls from the Tura seat as she has ensured the implementation of many centrally-sponsored schemes.
The Congress is likely to field either former Williamnagar MLA Deborah Marak or Gambegre MLA Saleng Sangma against Agatha. Marak hinted that Deborah has lost her charm.
He said at one point of time Deborah was so popular that she almost defeated Agatha but it is totally a different scenario now.
Reacting to the allegation of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) that NPP has forgotten its founding fathers, Marak claimed that NPP is the only party which remembers its founding fathers.
He reminded that NPP remembers its founding father, the late PA Sangma, on September 1 every year.
“We go to the grave every year. We don’t know who they are talking about but from our side, I would only say that NPP is the only party that remembers its founding father,” Marak added.
Recently, Cabinet Minister and NPP spokesperson Ampareen Lyngdoh stated that VPP is an old wine in a new bottle. Reacting to this, VPP criticised NPP for forgetting its founding members.
VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh had stated the banners of NPP feature images of people who joined the party much later than the original members.
“The NPP was founded in Manipur. NPP’s origins can be traced back to the 1980s. The current NPP leadership joined the organisation only in 2012 and since then, they have grown in prominence while the party’s founders have been forgotten. Any party that ignores its true founders is not telling the truth,” Myrboh had stated.