SHILLONG, Sep 3: KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Pyniaid Sing Syiem on Tuesday lambasted VPP chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, urging him to refrain from behaviour that he described as “like a clown in a circus.” Syiem accused Basaiawmoit of contributing little to the state’s interests and focusing instead on creating divisions.
The comments were made in response to Basaiawmoit’s recent accusations that the present MDCs in the KHADC are “like expired medicine,” continuing in office beyond their term’s end. Syiem countered that it is better to have MDCs who continue to work for the Council even after their term ends than to have leaders who “resign like a fool without exercising their mind.”
Syiem also criticised the cost incurred by the Council due to by-elections, stating that approximately Rs 3 crore had been spent after several MLAs, who were also MDCs, resigned. He labeled this expenditure as unnecessary, arguing that the resignations were made without fully understanding their consequences.
He further accused the VPP of spreading hatred and divisive politics along community lines, which he described as harmful to the state. “We have never seen this kind of hatred toward religious leaders, traditional heads, and political leaders. All of this is taking place thanks to the VPP,” Syiem said.
Questioning the contributions of VPP MLAs and leaders to their constituencies and the state, Syiem stated, “But yes, they have managed to give false hope to the youth.”
Regarding the extension of the Council’s term, Syiem pointed out that the extension is legally backed by the Proviso of Paragraph 2 of the Sixth Schedule, which allows the Governor to extend the Council’s term by up to one year under certain circumstances. “How can one say that our term has expired if the law clearly states that if there is something important, the term of the House can be extended?” Syiem added.
Syiem also announced that the Executive Committee (EC) of the KHADC has decided to recommend the formation of a delimitation committee to reorganise the Council’s 29 constituencies, following petitions from various villages and individuals.
