By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 13: Sounding the bugle for a face-to-face contest, Nongkrem MDC Lambor Malngiang, on Monday, challenged VPP supremo and Nongkrem MLA, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, to an open debate on who has brought more development to the constituency.
Malngiang’s remarks were in response to a video of Basaiawmoit addressing a public meeting in Jaintia Hills, where he referred to a media report about Malngiang inspecting road repairs in the Nongkrem constituency. Malngiang dismissed Basaiawmoit’s accusations that no roads were repaired during his tenure as an MLA between 2018 and 2023. Instead, he alleged that the quality of roadwork carried out during Basaiawmoit’s 10 years as an MLA (2008-2018) was substandard.
“The thickness of the repaired roads was as thin as garlic leaves,” Malngiang quipped, also alleging that many of the roads deteriorated within a year of being repaired during Basaiawmoit’s tenure.
He cited the road from Liewlong to Rngishillogn, which leads to Upper Shillong, as an example, stating it had to be repaired again during his tenure.
Continuing the pouding, Malngiang criticised Basaiawmoit, saying the people of Nongkrem elected him to voice their concerns with the state government. “It is not right to ask the people to approach officers themselves to request allocations or sanctions for development projects in their areas,” he added.
Earlier, Basaiawmoit had defended himself against allegations that he was absent from the constituency, claiming he was busy attending election rallies. He urged people to investigate why roads in the constituency were in poor condition.
The VPP chief maintained that he had brought significant development, including road projects, during his tenure as MLA between 2008 and 2018. He slammed the lack of road repairs between 2018 and 2023, blaming the current NPP-led government for blocking the sanctioning of developmental projects in his constituency.
Basaiawmoit also accused Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who oversees the PWD (Roads), of selectively sanctioning schemes and projects in constituencies represented by ruling party MLAs while overlooking those represented by VPP legislators.