SHILLONG, April 14: The NPP on Sunday dared the VPP to file an FIR or approach the CBI for an inquiry on the alleged corruption against the party.
“It is very easy to term a party corrupt. If you feel that NPP leaders are corrupt, I request you to file an FIR or write to Centre for a CBI inquiry or any central agencies,” NPP spokesperson HM Shangpliang said on Sunday.
He termed the mudslinging as political sloganeering, while claiming that VPP leveling allegations against the NPP stems from the fact that the party is doing well.
Shangpliang called VPP’s allegations “election gimmicks that are baseless and devoid of truth.”
Taking yet another swipe at the VPP, the NPP slammed the ‘divisive and hate politics’ of the latter, while alleging that it is trying to create a rift among the Khasi Hynniewtrep community.
NPP state working president, Pyniaid Sing Syiem alleged that the VPP is also responsible in creating law and order problems in the meetings of different political parties. “For the first time we are witnessing violent incidents in the Lok Sabha polls in Meghalaya,” Syiem, who is also the Chief Executive Member of the KHADC, said.
He claimed that video clippings show VPP supporters trying to disrupt the meeting of the NPP in Jaintia Hills, West Khasi Hills, East Khasi Hills as well as Ri-Bhoi.
Reacting to a complaint of the VPP lodged with the Election department against him on the allegations against the VPP of disrupting law and order, Syiem claimed that during the party meeting at Rynjah market on April 6, there were supporters of the VPP attempting to cause a problem.
The meeting was also attended by party candidate, Ampareen Lyngdoh, and party spokesperson, HM Shangpliang.
He claimed that there were at least four instances in the same meeting where various supporters of the VPP, who could not be identified, had tried to disrupt the meeting.
“We managed to hand over one of the VPP supporters to the police. He would otherwise face dire consequences if he was assaulted by the crowd,” he said.
Earlier, VPP election agent Danny Langstieh, in his complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) BRD Tiwari, had pointed out “highhandedness and physical abuse by the people present in the NPP meeting against the ordinary citizens for mere sloganeering on the symbol of the VPP”.
VPP’s protest on job quota policy fruitless
Meanwhile, the NPP state working president said that the VPP’s demand to review the State Reservation Policy of 1972 has not borne any positive result.
“The protest of the VPP has benefitted the people belonging to other communities. If we look at the recruitment held the last year, there are very few from among the Khasi and Jaintia communities getting absorbed (in service),” he said at an election rally to drum up support for Ampareen Lyngdoh, the NPP candidate from the Shillong parliamentary seat, at Puriang on Saturday.
Syiem, who is also the Chief Executive Member of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), said the protest of the VPP over the job reservation policy is a glaring attempt to mislead the people.
He took a dig at Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, the president of the VPP for welcoming the government notification to extend the MUDA Building Bye-laws to areas outside the Shillong Municipality in 2015 after initially opposing it.
Syiem said Basaiawmoit had an ‘agreement’ with former Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma about the extension of the bye-laws.
He added that the VPP chief-led protest on MUDA was only a drama as he later decided to accept the said government notification.
