By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 21: The National People Party (NPP) on Wednesday said the joining of the three Congress MLAs has strengthened the government and paved the way for stability after a long time.
“I am happy that the three legislators helped NPP reach the majority mark of 31 in the House. We need a stable government so that there is political peace and we can deliver for the people,” Health Minister and NPP spokesperson, Ampareen Lyngdoh said.
She said it does not matter who says what about the development as one has to look at the bigger picture.
A former Congress leader herself, she recalled that she and four other MLAs were suspended till the 2023 elections. “We waited for our terms to finish before deciding which party to join. Whether or not Congress is doing well is not my concern,” she said.
She declined to comment on whether Congress is disintegrating in Meghalaya because of Vincent H. Pala, the MPCC president. “It is for the Congress party to decide,” she said.
She, however, said Meghalaya now has a strong government after a long time.
Asked if leaving the opposition party and joining a ruling party for development is justified, Lyngdoh said: “I wish politics were of one shade of colour. What a legislator encounters during his tenure of terms of service cannot be generalised.”
She said it is believed that good intentions make a legislator move to another political party and people who disagree are likely to his or her rivals.
“I remember when we got suspended for giving the (NPP-led) government our outside support, we were targeted and it was made sure we would never get tickets from Congress. Now, they say we ditched the party. All we wanted is to serve the people best after being elected,” she said.
Wait for your turn, VPP told
Lyngdoh advised the Voice of the People Party (VPP) leaders to wait for their turn to come to power and, in the meantime, allow those whose turn it is to govern the state.
“Allegations are allegations until proven otherwise. You can say whatever you like, it does not really matter. Wait for your turn,” she said while reacting to the blanket allegations of corruption by the VPP against the NPP-led MDA government.
The VPP has been calling the government corrupt and poor in governance.
Stating that the people will evaluate them, she said, “I think post-MP elections, much realisation has started to set in. People of Meghalaya are supposed to be the sharpest politically and the state has been a trendsetter for many big political moves from its inception.”
She said allegations of corruption are nothing new. “It is easy to point a finger but it does not matter to me as I practice what I preach,” she said.