SHILLONG, Dec 8: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Sunday said the National People’s Party (NPP) accepted defeat in the autonomous district council (ADC) elections even before they are held.
Cabinet Minister and NPP leader Ampareen Lyngdoh recently stated that no party that forms the Executive Council in the ADCs can survive without the support of the ruling party.
Reacting to this, VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh said, “The statement suggested that the party totally lacked confidence to face the elections and that, there was an admission of defeat. Therefore, even before the elections, the minister has decided to use the last resort weapon to fight against the VPP.”
He said the statement made by Lyngdoh revealed the NPP was under tremendous pressure. “It was an attempt to psychologically coerce the voters using threatening tactics,” Myrboh alleged.
“Such kind of a statement highly indicated that the person concerned lacked democratic ethics where mandate given by the people should be respected. Rather, such a personality was full of anger with a vengeful mind and attitude,” he added.
The Congress had also criticised the NPP for “undermining” the autonomy of the ADCs, as evident from its “questionable statements”.
Reacting to the possibility of the VPP sweeping the ADC polls, Lyngdoh had stated, “It seems everybody is on this emotional high and I don’t know if that will blind everybody but time will tell. MDA has three more years. Don’t underestimate us. What happens in the district council elections does not matter but you cannot survive if you are not on the same page with the party that rules the state”.
Exposure for VPP candidates
As political parties gear up for the upcoming district council polls, the VPP is taking a unique approach. Beyond standard preparations, the party is exposing its candidates to expert-led interactive sessions on the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and its relevance to the Autonomous District Councils in Meghalaya post-statehood.
As part of this initiative, the VPP recently organised a one-day workshop on the Sixth Schedule for all its MDC candidates. Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at NEHU and the party’s spokesperson, Dr Batskhem Myrboh, served as the resource person for the session.
During the workshop, participants were educated on the historical background of the Sixth Schedule, highlighting its inadequacies as an autonomy provision that eventually fuelled the Hill State Movement and led to the formation of Meghalaya as a separate state. The discussions also delved into the specific contexts and challenges faced by ADCs in Meghalaya after achieving statehood.
The workshop was further enriched by inputs from participants, including lawyers, historians, and professionals from diverse fields, who added depth and perspective to the discussions.
