SHILLONG:
A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee addressed a rally in Tura urging people to vote for Mamata Banerjee, the NPP on February 17 slammed TMC for changing their stance on their political ideology.
Referring to Abhishek’s comment that the people by pressing on the TMC button will be voting for Mamata, the NPP questioned if TMC will actually allow the Khasis and Garos to rule their own state, turning them into second class citizens.
Responding to the comment, NPP spokesperson Bajop Pyngrope, said, “Abhishek Banerjee comment does not surprise me. AITC is indeed a Bengal based party, we all have seen what happened in other states such as Tripura where people joined them initially and then left immediately after the election. I believe due to the evident outcome of AITC’s Meghalaya’s misadventure they are baffled and are asking people to vote for Mamata Banerjee.”
Stating that the people who joined the TMC will soon leave the party after elections, he said people of Meghalaya know that voting for Mamata Banerjee is never a good proposition for the state, as the party has no base in Meghalaya, and are neither aware about the culture of the state.
“In a viral video in social media our people saw that Mamata Banerjee is not even aware of the names of tribes in our state and asking for votes is too optimistic for them,” said Pyngrope.
Replying to the question if TMC has gained popularity in last two years, he further said, “This shows the reputation NPP has created in our State, where even the principal opposition party in the assembly is happy that we are mentioning their name.”
He mentioned that elections are always a battle between 2 or more parties, and in this battle, we need to make our people aware of the danger TMC poses, and how they have destroyed West Bengal.
Stating that voting for Mamata Banerjee is something no Meghalayans will opt for, he further said, “TMC may lure our people with cash transfer promises, unrealistic employment promises and in turn ask them to vote for Mamata Banerjee – Not a single people will vote for AITC. Do you know that Mamata Banerjee was herself defeated in West Bengal and she had to wait for bye -election to get elected? If people of West Bengal her constituency did not vote for her, imagine who will vote for her in Meghalaya, Tripura and other states.”