Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
State unit president of the National People’s Party (NPP) Wanwei Roy Kharlukhi on November 8 said that as per the Constitution the party with the majority will be invited to form the government.
Kharlukhi was referring to the recent statement of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kiren Rijiju that no government in the state can be formed without the saffron party.
“The whole of India is governed by this Constitution. So, if people say that without them a government can’t be formed what happens if they get no seat. The government cannot be formed?” he asked.
He also made it clear that the NPP is not looking at a pre-poll alliance, but in case no one gets majority then they will decide the way forward.
BJP, TMC’s attack on govt
On constant allegations made by the BJP that the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government is corrupt, Kharlukhi said that this was a “joke”.
On the opposition Trinamool Congress (TMC) attacking the MDA government, he said it was their role.
“They will have to attack and let us see if it’s in sync with the people,” he said.
He stated that the TMC is not as strong as they are projecting.
“We are working to get an absolute majority,” Kharlukhi said.
Kharlukhi also said that the party expects 6-7 legislators from other parties to join them before the 2023 assembly polls.
“We will try to get from every party,” he added.
On accusations made by the TMC that the NPP was poaching their MLAs, Kharlukhi said that in 2018 the party was not there.
“They came to the political scene of Meghalaya through a political backdoor. They are yet to be tested. When they allow themselves to be poached from the Congress to the TMC who will not go on poaching them,” he said.
Border issue
On the border issue he said that the NPP is sincere and they want to resolve the long-pending issue.
“For fifty years we have been talking about the status quo. Meghalaya kept on retreating and Assam kept on encroaching and we were losing our lands,” he said.
Kharlukhi said that the party is trying its level best to solve every problem which the party feels it can.
“So we leave it to the master, the electorate of Meghalaya, to decide. If they want resolution of the border issue they will vote for us if they don’t want it what do we do,” he said.
He also said that the NPP aims to unite the whole of North East under one political party and when they go to Delhi with 15-16 MPs they will demand and not beg for their rights.
“But if you are divided, you reach nowhere. Delhi will not listen to you,” he further added.
On the issue of Garoland, he said that Late Purno A Sangma was never for it and the people of that region always supported him.
“We are small tribes in the North East and if we keep on dividing ourselves then where will it lead us,” Kharlukhi said.