‘Cong losing its popularity among voters’

SHILLONG, NOV 5: Claiming that the state ruling Congress is losing its ‘popularity’ and ‘mandate’ in Meghalaya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday appealed to all political parties to ensure that the Congress government is replaced beginning from the upcoming bye-elections to the KHADC and JHADC.

Addressing newsmen, BJP national spokesman Nalin Kohli said, “All likeminded political parties individuals, organizations, fronts, need to now work cohesively to ensure, together or separately, that the congress government must be replaced starting from the KHADC, JHADC so that the people of Meghalaya can get a development oriented clean government and governance.”

He said the political situation in Meghalaya points clearly that the people of the state are quite tired of the Congress party.

“The Congress party is consistency losing its popularity and mandate among the people of Meghalaya,” Kohli said referring to the Tura bye-election and GHADC elections where even the home turf and bastion of the CM collapsed.

He said as a result of this, the chief minister and his government are desperately trying to take steps somehow to retain power in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC).

“They (Congress) are not looking at the rules, they are not looking at the regulations, they are not looking at the Act…,” Kohli said.

Stating that there is an “interesting fight” between the Congress and its suspended member PN Syiem, the BJP spokesman said, “On one hand Syiem is fighting of principles and rules and on the other side Mukul and his government want to take power by suppressing and trying to force by misusing of the rules… which means throwing away principles and throwing away rules,” adding “They want to grab power without following the rules of the KHADC.”

He also lambasted the state government for trying to appoint a bureaucrat to take charge as protem chairman since there is no chairman of the KHADC after senior Congress MDC Manstudy Nongrem recently quit the post.

According to him, Rule 12 (1) of the AD Rules 1951, very clearly states – while the office of the chairman vacant the duty of the office shall be perform by the deputy chairman or if the office of the deputy chairman is also vacant by such member of the ADC as the governor may appoints for the purpose.

“There is no scope in this rule as the Congress party wants that somebody who is not a member of the district council should become a chairman, which is not permitted by the rules,” he said adding “Sometime I think that the chief minister should elicit views from some new law graduates and asked them to read the rules before they start taking these steps. Why do something which is not therein the rules be permitted.”

He felt the district council’s bye-polls has become a direct fight for principles and rules which is being fought by PN Syiem and on the other side a fight that is ignoring the rules, ignoring the principles fought by the Congress government.

“It seems the whole Congress party is so worried about the fight of PN Syiem. He quotes the rules and principles they have no answers for that and they move against him politically… if they had answers as per rules they would have not moved against him politically they would moved as per rules,” he said.

Referring to the bye-elections which are slated on December 13, Kohli said, “We appeal to the people who are voters in these regions that all those who are oppose to corruptions, ineffective inefficient government, oppose to the breaking of rules and breaking of principles… time has come to give a message and they should do so through the mandate of their votes. We appeal to them to look at our candidates like recently in Assam as the people have done against Congress by voting for the BJP.”

The BJP has fielded candidates who will be contesting all the seven vacant seats – 6 in KHADC and 1 in JHADC.

Asked whether the party consider the suspension of Syiem as a blessing in disguised, the BJP spokesperson said, “The application has to be more than the blessing for the BJP, the self-destruction under the leadership of the Congress party for their own party… the BJP agenda has been consistence – development, development and development…we are working for the NE irrespective whether we get votes or not.”

He also added that the BJP government want the blessings of the people of the North East and do not seek an indirect blessing from the Congress party.-By Our Reporter