By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 1: Politics in Meghalaya has always had a familiar narrative during the election season. It has been the trend in Meghalaya that friends turn foes only when elections are at hand. With the Lok Sabha elections due in less than two months, the NPP-BJP marriage has started souring in the state.
The game of verbal duels have begun with the allies now turning against each other with only one agenda — to get the upper hand in the election battle.
On Thursday, BJP legislator Sanbor Shullai had urged Khasi-Jaintia voters to vote for the saffron party since, in his words, “sending candidates of other political parties to Parliament would be futile as BJP is set to return to power in the country”.
The NPP retaliated on Friday, asking the BJP to ponder over their “numbers” in the state instead of engaging in irrelevant conversations.
NPP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Shillong, Ampareen Lyngdoh refused to distract herself with petty statements from the BJP. “It does not matter what a political party or representative of a political party thinks. The BJP should do a reality check and focus on their numbers in the state,” she said.
She advised members of the MDA coalition partners not to speak just because they have been encouraged to do so.
Lyngdoh also took a pot-shot at the Congress, in particularly, Shillong Lok Sabha member Vincent H Pala for reducing himself to being a “dilapidated” bridge of communication between the Centre and the state and keeping mum on pressing issues of the state which are being ignored by the Union government, forcing people to hit the streets.
She lamented that people in the state are recipients of second-hand information from Delhi since nobody is hearing anything from the Shillong MP.
“Farmers are now in protest but we have to depend on the media for updates. If you are in Parliament you are privy to the information and this dissemination of correct information is what an MP should be doing. It should not come from a different source,” she said.
Citing the implementation of MNREGA in the state, she questioned the backlog of payment. “What is the confusion? Is it not the MP who should be finding out and also informing the people,” Lyngdoh questioned.
Pointing out that many issues of the state are discussed on the streets whereas they should be decided in Delhi, she said, “How often have you heard the MP (Pala) debating in Parliament about these issues. I am seeking a mandate with the clear objective of voicing these issues through the correct channel.” She also dismissed any anti-incumbency challenge for the NPP.
“Look at the latest budget presented by the chief minister. I do not thing I have any challenge at all. Everywhere we go there is progress and development,” she said.
“Roads have improved. Our farmers are doing so much better today. Look at the income generated and livelihood generation through a lot of our programmes in the farming sector,” she recounted.
She stated that the NPP-led MDA Government was displaying tremendous progress in every aspect, be it health, education, tourism, or job generation.