By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 18: Upping the ante against the MDA 2.0 government, the Voice of the People Party (VPP) has weaponised the Lumpongdeng Island controversy, calling for a mass mobilisation at Motphran on April 22 to launch a wider crusade against alleged “anti-indigenous” policies.
The public meeting, scheduled for 2 pm, marks a significant escalation in the standoff over the proposed luxury resort at Umiam. By joining the fray, the VPP is broadening the agitation to include long-standing grievances regarding irregularities in the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) and District Selection Committees (DSC), alongside the rights of teachers and border residents.
VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit announced the move following an emergent party meeting on Saturday. He accused the NPP-led administration of being “insensitive and dismissive” of the interests of the Khasi-Jaintia community, particularly in its continued defence of the 60-year lease agreement for Lumpongdeng Island.
“The time has come to act decisively in the interest of the people,” Basaiawmoit said, stating that the party can no longer wait for government clarifications.
The VPP’s entry into the protest comes as the Green-Tech Foundation’s hunger strike enters its second week with no response from the Secretariat. By bundling the island lease with systemic issues like job recruitment and teachers’ service conditions, the VPP is attempting to consolidate public discontent into a singular political movement.
Beginning next week, the party plans to conduct state-wide awareness campaigns to sensitise citizens before taking more “stringent actions.” Basaiawmoit urged the public across the Khasi-Jaintia region to gather at Motphran, warning that this mobilisation is a precursor to a more intensified agitation if the government remains unmoved.
The April 22 rally is expected to serve as a litmus test for the VPP’s ability to convert local grievances into a broader challenge against the current administration’s governance narrative.
