If MDA cannot run the Govt, allow VPP to take over: Ardent Basaiawmoit

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 8, 2024

Opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Saturday said if the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) cannot run the government, it should allow the VPP to take over and govern the state.

“There are ministers, who stated that now it is duty of the MP of the VPP to take up issues of the people in the parliament but I prefer that they instead say that VPP should take over the state government, it will be much better because if you feel that you cannot run the government, allow us to take over and govern the state,” Basaiawmoit said.

He was addressing a rally organized at Smit to thank the people of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region for supporting the VPP in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections.

VPP’s Ricky AJ Syngkon defeated three times sitting MP Vincent H Pala of the Congress by a massive margin of over 3.7 lakh votes, the highest margin recorded in the state.

Basaiawmoit also accused the MDA government of fearing to face the MDC elections by extending the term of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) by six months.

“After MLA elections, the MDC elections were supposed to be held but since they (MDA govt) are scared of the VPP supporters, they extended the tenure of the two ADCs. They say let us first fight the MP elections as they are sure that the VPP will lose and then the wave will die down but it turned out to be just the opposite, the VPP won with a margin, which has been recorded as the highest in the history of the state,” he said.

The VPP president further stated that he doubted that the MDA government will even conduct the MDC elections as they are busy trying to douse the VPP’s wave to prevent it from affecting them in the upcoming 2028 MLA elections in the state.

“But I want to tell you that people have become wiser. They would buy a product which has a guarantee. So VPP has got such kind of supporters now who are not easily misled. They also say that the party is riding on a populist wave and that populism will not last long but we know people are wiser because we have taught them to be wiser,” he said.

Basaiawmoit also claimed that the VPP was formed because other political parties in Meghalaya have failed the people miserably. He said that there has been no political party, who convened a meeting to thank the people for their unwavering support to the party.

“It is only the VPP which wants to show its respect to the people. We can always go to Delhi later,” he stated.

Further, Basaiawmoit denied that the VPP has promised to provide government jobs to the people.

“We have never promised any government jobs. We have not promised people to give them government jobs but we only request them to vote for our MP so that he can go to parliament to take up with the Centre on the various issues confronting the people,” he said.

“There are also those who started saying that after VPP winning it will only create chaos for the state. We are here to fight against corruption, poverty and partiality. We are not uniting to fight against other communities,” he added further.