State president Rikman Momin blamed for central leadership’s decision to pull out of Lok Sabha election race in state
SHILLONG, March 24: The state BJP leaders are finding it hard to pacify party workers unhappy with the central leadership for deciding not to contest the two parliamentary seats in Meghalaya and lending support to the Conrad K. Sangma-led National People’s Party.
Internal squabbling has been reportedly at its peak after the central leadership of the BJP turned down the state unit’s request to field candidates from Shillong and Tura.
After party workers expressed their anger at a meeting in Shillong on Saturday, the top BJP leaders in the Garo Hills called a meeting in Tura on Sunday to oppose the central leadership’s decision that let the “hard work of the party workers go to waste”.
Some leaders reportedly demanded the resignation of state BJP president Rikman G. Momin for failing to convince the central leadership to contest the two Lok Sabha seats.
Party insiders said it was decided in Saturday’s meeting at the party headquarters in Shillong to approach the central leadership to reconsider its decision. However, within minutes of the meeting, Momin and some of his associates rushed to meet the CM to convey their decision to support the NPP in Meghalaya.
“Our workers in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills can be pacified but those in Tura are unhappy because of the continuous victimization of the BJP workers by the NPP there,” a party leader said, seeking anonymity.
Some disgruntled party workers claimed the NPP leadership and the state BJP leaders held a video conference before the message from Delhi. It was decided during this conference that the BJP would support the NPP in Meghalaya.
Subsequently, the BJP leaders in Tura asked the party president to hold a meeting by the end of March to clarify the issues raised by them.
Lamenting that the state leadership chose personal interests over the interest of the party, some BJP leaders sought a meeting with the NPP leaders, including the CM, to end the victimisation of the BJP workers in the Garo Hills.
A section of the BJP leadership said Momin has not been up to the mark as the state president and is yet to call the state executive meeting six months after assuming the responsibility. They also accused him of not forming the state election committee of the party properly and not reorganising the mandal and booth committees.
“Some senior party workers have also been sidelined while three office-bearers are running the show,” a party leader said. The three, reportedly, are Gagan Jain, Khrawbok Basaiawmoit, and Wankitbok Pohshna.