Shillong, Feb 12: Taking a dig at the Voice of the People Party supremo, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh on Wednesday said his party does not believe in one supreme leader who will dictate terms on all matters.
“There is a political party (read as VPP) where all decision rests with one person. Any decision taken by this leader cannot be questioned,” Lyngdoh said while speaking at an election rally at Bhoirymbong to garner support for party candidate Naphisha Marwein in the Umroi seat.
While making an indirect reference to the VPP chief, the UDP working president said that one man decides to allot the party ticket without taking into account whether he is a voter of the constituency and whether the electorate knows him or not.
“In contrast, the UDP believes in the policy of grooming and promoting young and future political leaders. We are open to the idea of providing opportunity to young leaders to climb the ladder of politics,” Lyngdoh said.
The UDP working president further said that their party leadership believes in consultation and deliberations on any important matter.
“We decide on the party candidates based on consultations right from the primary unit. We unitedly decide whom to allot the party ticket,” he said, making it clear that there is no room for any dictatorial attitude in the UDP.
Indirectly referring to the VPP chief, Lyngdoh said that there was a KHADC CEM of a particular political party who had led a mass protest to oppose the encroachment of MUDA in areas falling under the jurisdiction of the council.
The opposition to the MUDA encroachment led by that CEM ended with a one-off mass protest without taking the issue to its logical end, Lyngdoh said.
He also claimed that the UDP-led executive committee under the leadership of Titosstarwell Chyne, where he was the Executive Member in-charge of Building Bye-Laws, managed to convince the government that the KHADC should be allowed to implement the Building Bye-Laws and issue the building permission within the scheduled areas.
Lyngdoh said that it was in 2019 that the amended Building Bye-Laws were accepted which paved the way for the KHADC to implement the same through the Khasi Hills Building and Structure Regulatory Authority.
