In an interesting development in the run-up to the Meghalaya assembly elections, National People’s Party (NPP) supremo and chief minister Conrad Sangma on February 23 made a clarion call to members of other political parties including the TMC to join NPP and pledge their support.
“It is no point in supporting TMC or any other parties. NPP is set to form the government. Let us not waste our vote and come out to vote and pledge support for the NPP,” he said while addressing a massive crowd at Dadenggre, West Garo Hills, where he campaigned for his elder brother and party candidate James Sangma, who is also the incumbent legislator from the constituency.
Terming TMC leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma as a “dictatorial leader”, Sangma said: “He (Mukul) left Congress, as he thought there was no future in the party but he failed to calculate that people of Garo Hills will never accept a party that is from outside when they have the option to choose a party from their own state.”
The chief minister said in the last five years there were many challenges before the government, there were situations when civil bodies had to protest against the government but the government never used force and always initiated dialogue with the agitating groups.
Terming his brother James Sangma as a committed leader, who has not only worked for his constituency but entire state, Conrad Sangma thanked the people of Dadenggre constituency for reposing their faith in him.
“If voted to power, the popular demand for creation of a new district with Dadenggre as headquarters would be the priority of the government,” the NPP chief assured.
Speaking on the occasion, James Sangma thanked the people of Dadenggre for turning up in large numbers to welcome NPP national president Conrad Sangma.
The highlight of the rally was the speech by Conrad Sangma and James Sangma’s mother Soradini Sangma, widow of late Purno A Sangma.
Soradini Sangma urged the people of Dadenggre to vote for her son and acknowledged that the people of Garo Hills had “done so much” for her family that her late husband had given the task to his children to work for the people of Garo Hills.
At Williamnagar, the NPP chief said that sitting legislator Marcuise Marak has ensured a turnaround of the town by initiating and engaging with the government for various development works.
He further stated that the NPP, despite several challenges during its tenure, kept people’s concerns as priority to ensure development and growth.
“We were ridiculed by our opposition but we have remained steadfast and focused on our works. We were not distracted from noise created by opposition but kept people’s welfare first and work to achieve it,” he said.
Later, NPP chief Conrad Sangma also addressed a rally at Phulbari for party candidate and former speaker of the Meghalaya legislative assembly, Abu Taher Mondal.
