By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 25: Following a controversy over the inclusion of Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) Chairperson Agatha K. Sangma’s name in the list of star campaigners for the National People’s Party (NPP) for the Assam Legislative Assembly elections and a by-election in Nagaland, the party has now written to the Election Commission of India to delete her name from the list.
Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday admitted that it was incorrect. “We have written to the Election Commission to delete her name as the star campaigner of the party,” Sangma told reporters.
Sangma said that the confusion arose due to some miscommunication with the party’s campaign team and corrective measures have been taken.
Meanwhile, the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement on Wednesday demanded that the same standards applied in previous cases be enforced in the ongoing controversy involving Agatha, while stating that her services should be terminated if norms have been violated. KHNAM leader Thomas Passah raised concerns over Agatha’s name appearing in the star campaigners’ list, arguing that holding a statutory and quasi-judicial position should preclude any visible association with political activity.
Passah recalled that similar concerns had been raised in the past when the then Chairperson of the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW), Phidalia Toi, faced action over alleged political involvement. He recalled that at the time, there was strong public reaction, with demands that individuals occupying such positions must remain politically neutral.
He further suggested that failure to act in this case would raise questions of fairness, indicating that action should not differ based on whether an individual is linked to those in power.
