SHILLONG, SEP 7: Former Mawsynram legislator Himalaya M Shangpliang on Thursday announced his decision to join the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) on September 13.
This came a day after he tendered resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) citing nepotism within the party under the leadership of Ernest Mawrie.
“I am planning to join the NPP and the scheduled date for being inducted in the NPP is on September 13, at the NPP state headquarters office,” Shangpliang, who is also currently the adviser to the education department, told reporters.
Asked if he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Shillong seat, the former legislator said, “I am making it very clear to you that I am joining the NPP without any conditions. Once I join the NPP, I will be a member of the party and whatever the high command finds me fit with the responsibility, I am ready to shoulder that.”
Also refusing to comment on the recent statement made by deputy chief minister Sniawbhalang Dhar that Shangpliang is one of the ticket aspirants for Shillong seat, he said, “I leave it to the judgment and the wisdom of the high command of the NPP to utilize my services to the best of my abilities and I am ready to serve the NPP with any responsibility given by them.”
Shangpliang said he has decided to join the NPP after seeing how the chief minister Conrad K Sangma has brought drastic change and a lot of development in the state of Meghalaya during the last five years.
“Therefore, I thought the NPP is the only party of the State that perhaps could provide the people of the State with the sense of security, the sense of development and a (better) future,” he added.
Further, Shangpliang claimed that more than 2,000 party workers holding responsible positions in the Mawsynram BJP Mandal have also tendered their resignation letters to the State president and they will all be joining the NPP on September 12, at Mawsynram.
“Prior to my resignation, I had met all my leaders in Mawsynram and I had taken their consent that we are moving out of the BJP. On September 13, all my top leaders will be escorting me for my induction (into the NPP),” he said.
The former Mawsynram legislator also denied the claims made by the BJP state president Ernest Mawrie that he wanted the MDA to set up a common candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“I have never discussed Lok Sabha elections with Mawrie. I have never even asked for a ticket nor was there any discussion about some common candidate or something…,” he said.
“(In fact) one fine morning I saw the headline in the newspaper mentioning my name as a probable candidate for the Lok Sabha from the BJP party. Immediately I called up Dipayan Chakravarty, who is the vice president of the state BJP and I said how is it without my knowledge my name has come out in the press about being an MP candidate then the answer I got was we do not have any probable candidate or person except you that’s why we thought we will nominate your name. If they have discussed among themselves, I have nothing to say on that.”
Meanwhile, Shangpliang said there are no flaws in the BJP but the flaws are in the leadership of the state party because there were too many internal conflicts and nepotism which undermined the growth of the party in Meghalaya.
“I did not see any better future in the State BJP here though I would have loved to remain in the party. But there were lots of other issues. There were internal conflicts, there was nepotism which undermined the growth of the party. If we have to work for the welfare of the people then such things should not find a room such as internal conflicts and nepotism if we are there for the welfare of the people. Therefore, I thought the best way is to quit the party,” he said.
Shangpliang also slammed Mawrie for alleging nepotism in the appointment of his brother as president of the BJP Mawsynram mandal and said that Mawrie had appointed his wife as general secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha and sideline deserving people who have silently worked throughout these years.
“I would like to clarify that, we resigned from the TMC en masse and my cousin brother was already a block president under the TMC and that resignation en masse came to the BJP and accordingly he got that position again by virtue of entering the BJP and that was notified by Mawrie himself. It was not my doing. It was notified by the party president,” he said.
On the other hand, Shangpliang said it is not a question of acceptability as the BJP at the Centre has done a lot for the people of North East and it has also done a lot for the people of Meghalaya.
According to him, the four former MLAs, who have joined the BJP, should have been the ambassador of the party to inform people of the State about the various schemes given by the Prime Minister.
“We should have been the ambassador of the party, we should have been there to inform the people about the schemes that PM Modi has given to the people. That is where we failed. Why did we fail? It is because the organization has failed. There was no organization at the ground level to take forward the message of the PM. This is where we have gone wrong. There is nothing wrong with the party,” he said.
Shangpliang said he did try to meet the top leaders of the BJP including Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“After the elections were over, I tried to get an appointment with the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. I tried 3 times but I failed. Then I tried to get an appointment with Rituraj Sinha. There were times he never picked up my calls, there were times I messaged him and he would say I will call you back and I never got the calls – so those actually frustrated me.”
“I did meet Sanbor Shullai and I did brief him and Shullai was equally very angry with the whole situation and he didn’t have much to say of course and he said this is why our party is failing in the state. Then again, I met AL Hek several times. Just two days before I handed in my resignation letter I met Hek and finally I said I am resigning and I am quitting the party. He asked me what the reason was. I told him the reason and he said sorry for whatever has happened. That is all I could hear from them,” he said.
“I would leave all these issues to be addressed by the party. Before I left the house I had indicated the flaws in the house. Now it is up to the owner of the house to address the issues and straighten the house. I have nothing more to say because I have left the house,” he stated.
By our Reporter
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