SHILLONG, March 27: Amid the growing demand for the removal of BJP state president Rikman G. Momin, the saffron party has asserted its house is in order.
BJP spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang admitted a few leaders have resigned following the “recent political developments” but he downplayed the reports of dissension within the party.
“There is no mass resignation and the party leadership is trying to make the karyakartas understand the reasons for not contesting the polls,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Many party workers want the party president to clarify various issues before they take any call on abiding by the party diktat to support the National People’s Party candidates in the polls.
Kharkrang said Momin has been holding meetings with the party workers in the Khasi Hills region and will soon visit the Garo Hills for consultations there.
Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that 100 Lok Sabha seats would be given to the NDA partners, Kharkrang said only a few disgruntled leaders are demanding Momin’s removal.
Defending Momin for taking the party forward in the last six months, he denied the allegations that a few people running the BJP office in Shillong are running the show in the party.
Kharkrang said slamming the NPP-BJP partnership is unwarranted as the two parties are constituents of the National Democratic Alliance and the North East Democratic Alliance.
He also said the central leadership of the BJP analysed the situation in Meghalaya and felt the party was not in a position to win. “Hence, the decision to support the NPP was made,” he added.
Kharkrang denied allegations that the BJP wants an absolute majority in Parliament to change the Constitution of India and make the country a Hindu nation. “Every political party wants to attain absolute majority in every election,” he said.
Meanwhile, amidst brewing resentment in the Meghalaya BJP, party vice president and Tura MDC, Bernard Marak has asked NPP national president Conrad K Sangma and party candidate Agatha Sangma to initiate a reconciliation meeting with the BJP karyakartas in Garo Hills to clear their doubts and confusion.
“As the election nears, the BJP workers feel unwanted and betrayed by some leaders who did not take time to unite the karyakartas on the ground,” Marak said while adding that the direction of the BJP national president has been honoured by the state leaders but to get support on the ground, NPP should meet the grassroots workers of Garo Hills at the party’s Tura office.
“Some leaders are negotiating with the NPP leaders for personal benefits while others want good posts in the government, but a majority has been left unattended. The sentiments of the karyakartas have been gravely hurt by the way NPP treated BJP in the last few years,” he said.
According to Marak, BJP karyakartas want an assurance that NPP members will treat them with honour and respect and accord them equal status.
“The karyakartas feel there should be a reconciliation meeting between BJP and NPP to defuse the tension on the ground otherwise many of them might turn inactive during the Lok Sabha elections,” Marak added.
