SHILLONG, MAR 21: Beside sitting Congress Shillong Lok Sabha MP Vincent H Pala Friday, Independent candidate PBM Basaiawmoit, BJP nominee Shibun Lyngdoh and CPI Richard Shabong filed their nomination papers with the Returning Officer Sanjay Goyal on Friday for the April 9 elections for Shillong Lok Sabha seat.
UDP candidate Paul Lyngdoh was the first one to file his nomination papers for the Shillong parliamentary followed by Aam Admi Party (AAP) candidate Armerington Kharshiing.
As on Friday, six aspirants have already filed the nominations papers.
Pala was accompanied by senior party leaders including District Council Affairs minister minister HDR Lyngdoh..
After filing his papers, Pala told reporters his priority will be to address the unemployment problem faced by the youth of the state. Towards this end, he informed that he is proposing to initiate training programmes by engaging professional trainers from Delhi to train the state youths and equip them with the required skills to meet the various demands in the job market.
According to Pala because of lack of skills, many educated youths fail in their attempts to find a place in the job market.
“The need of the hour is not to feed the youth with fish but to equip them with fishing rods so that they learn how to fish and survive,” Pala said.
Giving equal importance to other issues concerning the state, Pala said influx and boundary disputes are matters of serious concern. On influx, he however said there is a need to strike a balance while moving towards addressing this issue.
Pala said, “It is important to protect our own identity, but it is also equally important to ensure that in the name of preservation that genuine Indian citizens are not affected.”
Apart from influx, Pala said the boundary dispute with Assam is serious and sensitive which requires discussion in order to take the issue to its logical conclusion.
Replying to a query, Pal said to occupy the office of the minister of state is not the decision of the people but it is the decision of the party’s high command of the government in power.
Pala said, “When I was inducted as the minister, there was already a decision taken by the party that the induction process to the ministerial post will be on a rotation basis between Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur so that everybody gets equal chances to serve the people of the region and the nation.”
Pala also refuted the perception being circulated that United Democratic Party’s candidate Paul Lyngdoh is his dummy candidate for the ensuing elections.
Pala said, “Lyngdoh is representing the UDP which is a recognized and second largest party in the state and me, am representing Congress, the largest national party. I think it is not necessary to mixed up personal and professional issues because they are two different things.”
Pala also felt that to mix family issues with politics is an aimed to tarnish the family relationship which is totally not “right.
Common People’s Front (CPF) candidate PBM Basaiawmoit, who is being supported by HSPDP and KHNAM, claim that he is the one who is capable of bringing an ‘alternative-politics’.
Basaiawmoit told reporters after filing his nomination papers, “There is a need to clean politics and I want that this initiative should start from the Shillong Parliamentary constituency.”
Saying that politics is a divine command, Basaiawmoit said, “We need alternative politics which is clean and I will be one to bring it.”
Expressing confidence of winning the Shillong Lok Sabha elections, Basaiawmoit however said, “Am worried about one thing and that is the ills of money power which can change people’s mindset in a split of seconds.”
The last day of filing nomination papers is on Saturday. – By Our Reporter
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