Sir
On Sunday late afternoon, a red Lamborghini Huracan rumbled through the streets of Shillong, which awed most citizens. Later images surfaced on social media, only to reveal that one of the costliest cars in the world was purchased by Meghalaya NPP cabinet minister Dasakhiat Lamare, who was accompanied for the delivery by his uncle – also cabinet minister – Sniawbhalang Dhar.
This is not a matter of awe. It is probably the biggest red flag for the legislature of Meghalaya, where showmanship and a display of power and wealth have reached its peak. All this is before the elections, where candidates are usually seen posturing as being sympathetic to the common man and appealing to the most marginalised.
Bah H H Mohrmen wrote a wonderful article yesterday talking about Meghalaya’s politics being a narrative of the rich. Truly so, before the 2018 election, Dhar and Lamare had declared personal assets worth a few crores. Dhar’s elder brother, Ngaitlang Dhar, had declared family wealth of Rs 290 crore.
At this point, the electorate must ask an important question, what is the necessity or incentive of a super-rich politician, essentially hailing from a business empire, to work for the development of the poor and the down-trodden? If a legislator is not able to feel or empathise with the hardships of people, how can he/she ever work for their upliftment?
To further illustrate this point, in the recent past, Sniawbhalang Dhar has been under fire for mishandling of his departments, which gave rise to incidents such as garbage dumping issues at Mawlai Marten and pending salaries of Municipal workers. These are issues which continue to impact the common man even today. Permanent solutions to either of them have not come so far.
The electorate must vote in a fully conscious and informed manner in the 2023 elections. It is not the ‘outsider’ that is a threat to us at this point. It is our own people now, the elites of our society, who continue to get rich by snatching away dimes from the palms of the poor. Let us not sell off our state. Let us begin talking, accelerate action on ground and take a stand next year. It is indeed now or never.
Wanphrang Thabah
Shillong