NONGPOH:
Nongpoh MLA Mayralborn Syiem on November 3 hinted that he might contest the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections on a United Democratic Party (UDP) ticket.
Speaking to The Meghalayan, Syiem revealed that he had been offered a ticket by the UDP to contest as its candidate, but he did not divulge much and only said, “I’ll talk on this topic at a more appropriate time.”
It may be mentioned that Syiem had won the 2018 Assembly election on a Congress ticket, but on February 2022, he was suspended from the party along with four other Congress MLAs for supporting the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
Later, on March 31, 2022, the Ri Bhoi district Congress committee chose Rona Khymdeit as its candidate for the 2023 Assembly election and gave her the ticket.
“Party is just a uniform we wear, it can be any party. What matters is the person who wears it. Therefore we will fight the 2023 Assembly election with the trust and support of the people from my constituency and hope we will win,” he stated.
Apart from that, Syiem also urged the state government to set up a medical college in Ri Bhoi, a plea he had made on several occasions even in the Assembly.
“It’s our right as an Aspirational District to have one Medical College within the district. On February 4, 2022, the government approved the establishment of 157 more medical colleges, and out of that, 40 were designated for Aspirational Districts. The state government should take note of this, as we, as an Aspirational District, we should have a medical college,” he said.
“I have raised this issue of setting up a new medical college in Ri Bhoi several times, even in the Assembly, because I understand that this is the right time to ask for it,” Syiem added.
Notably, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui had on March 11, 2022 informed that there is no proposal for a new medical college in Ri Bhoi district.
Syiem also spoke about inclusion of the Khasi language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India, saying that the state government should reach out to the government at the Centre to include it.
“If the Khasi language is included in the 8th Schedule, our candidates who aspire to attempt the civil service exams will be able to write their exams in Khasi. It might help them pass the exam if they can write it in their own mother tongue,” he added.