SHILLONG, NOV 21: BJP leader and former legislator of South Tura John Leslee K Sangma on Monday announced his decision to contest from South Tura in the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections.
“I made my decision to return to active politics after being requested very sincerely by my supporters and political parties and well-wishers and I finally joined the BJP on June 29,” John said in a statement.
He said on the request made by the people of South Tura, a meeting was called at his residence at PalmDale on November 20.
“…hundred flocked to show their support for my candidature and I assured my supporters that if I contest the election I will be contesting from South Tura only. The meeting was to clear the confusion that is going around and to prepare my supporters for the big fight that is around the corner,” John added.
He said certain vested interested people have been creating confusion among the people by spreading rumours that he will be contesting from North Tura but this is not true.
Stating that he has been getting tremendous positive response, the former MLA said, “I joined the BJP to fulfill the dream of delivering development to the people, to move positively towards generating employment opportunity to the youths and above all to protect the interest of the indigenous people and also to protect the interest of the local non tribals residing in the state.”
“I have always associated and worked with the people of South Tura and there are thousands of people who look up to me whenever they have problem and there are thousands of people who genuinely believe in me and I can never abandon them for personal interest or for the so called career in politics. What I have for the people of South Tura is in my heart, it is do or die for me only in South Tura,” he added.
John said that he has nothing against the people of South Tura for replacing him in 2018.
“I feel it was a right decision as woman folk being a woman believed in Agatha Sangma and voted for her when she said that only a woman understands the problem of a woman which nobody can deny. But she let them down when she resigned within few months. In the bye election people voted for Conrad Sangma and made him their representative which was the right decision again as he was a nominated chief minister then and will continue if elected,” he said.
Stating that he had abstained from criticizing for five years as he respected the aspiration of the people, John said, “People of South Tura knows that Tura has problem everywhere and an MLA no matter how hard he try will not be able to address it but a Chief Minister will be certainly be able to do just that. So it is with this believe that Conrad Sangma was elected as MLA of South Tura by the people which I too believed was in the best interest of South Tura and it was with this faith in the post of chief minister.”
He however said after five years he is seeing rampant corruption, shoddy developmental works, dreams and aspirations of the youth shattered, hijacking of employment opportunities, compromising of rights of the indigenous people for monetary gain, accumulation of unimaginable wealth by politicians and people closely associated and related to them by siphoning of public money.
“We have even lost the idea of who we are and what we should be doing as Christian state when Meghalaya under the leadership of South Tura MLA Conrad Sangma (CM) decided to make Meghalaya the gambling destination state. My respect and gratitude to the church leaders of Shillong who stood up to protect the values and identity of the Christians and put a stop to it,” he added.
By Our Reporter
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