SHILLONG, Feb 18: Encouraged by the positive response from the Voice of the People Party (VPP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to it call for a unified stand on issues concerning the state in the Assembly, the Congress is now hopeful that this latest “collaboration” might ultimately lead to stitching of an alliance between the three opposition parties in the state.
“The opposition is much more united on common issues than previous times. It is a good trend and we hope we can crystallise together and perhaps even have an alliance,” Leader of Opposition, Ronnie V Lyngdoh said on Sunday.
This gains significance as the opposition parties were found to be in disarray in the last Assembly session so much so that the ruling picked holes and suggested them to have coordination to save time of the House.
Lack of coordination and effective time management had lead to a clash of motions, special motions and topics during the short-duration notices and call attention motion in the previous Assembly session.
Pointed out that only the VPP attended the meeting called by him while the TMC was missing, Lyngdoh said, “Most of the TMC MLAs were in Garo Hills and Bah Charles (Pyngrope) was not in town but he confirmed that they are with us. VPP came and we sat together and we have come to an understanding to be united in the House.”
Reminding that the opposition camp is better prepared this time, he said, “We have met and there is better coordination. For instance, similar questions have been clubbed together and in this way we will save time and together we can voice our issues and grievances.”
Talking about some of the issues that the opposition will raise in the House, Lyngdoh said health care, infrastructure and education will be on top of the agenda.
“We will highlight the problems being faced by all sections of the society, be it students or the farmers,” he said.
VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh had earlier stated that the party will raise several issues ranging from unemployment and Meghalaya’s financial health to the safety and security of people along the borders of the state.
“The problems faced by the farmers, the livelihoods of small miners, and the future of students and education are some of the other issues the party intends to take up,” Myrboh had said.
“We will also raise the financial health of the state, especially since the government of Meghalaya has increasingly been borrowing,” he said.
He asserted that the VPP camp has done extensive preparation to take on the government but decried the short duration of the session.
