NPP will regret denying tickets to sitting MLAs: Benedic

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 15, 2022

Former legislator from Raksamgre Benedic R Marak on Thursday said that the National People’s Party (NPP) will definitely regret its decision to deny tickets to him and other legislators.

Marak along with his party colleague Ferlin CA Sangma from Selsella constituency had resigned as members of the 11^th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and formally joined the BJP in New Delhi yesterday.

“The NPP will regret denying tickets to us,” Marak told reporters.

Rejecting the NPP’s survey report, the former legislator said, “I am coming back (in 2023) don’t worry. I am sure because my people themselves have told me to join the BJP.”

He further slammed the NPP national president and chief minister Conrad K Sangma for his alleged “dictator attitude” and demanded him to explain the reason behind removing him as chief executive member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).

“I was CEM for eight months. Why did our CM sidelined me? I am asking him why he removed me as CEM. Christmas is so near but salary (of the GHADC employees) is still pending for three years and above..,” Marak said.

“I joined the NPP a long time back because of his father (L) PA Sangma,” he said.

Stating that it is a “wind of disaster” under the leadership of the NPP, the former Raksamgre MLA said, “But we believe that now we have joined BJP it is going to be a wind of change.”

When asked, Marak said there are some more MLAs from NPP who are still waiting for the right time to come out of the party.

On the other hand, Ferlin CA Sangma said that on many occasions, her voice was not heard, her decision was not honored by the NPP leadership.

“I have suffered a lot of pain and humiliation but I have taken it in a very positive stride so that I can move on but I think the time has come and the time is ripe where I have to look for a better platform,” she said while citing the reason for her joining the BJP.

She said the NPP has sidelined them as sitting legislators in many ways and made predetermined plans against them.

“Therefore, it is meaningless to hang on to the party. Till the end we have been so patient we have waited for the term to come to an end and it is time for us to move on. It is not an overnight decision but it is a long drawn conscious move so that we can move as we are committed representatives of our respective constituencies so we have our own responsibility to move on. That is the reason why we have to look for a better and bigger platform to serve and people of our respective constituencies in particular and people of the state in general in a much better way,” she said.

She refused to comment on the allegation that the Chief Minister is eyeing to contest from Selsella seat and said, “…the state president Dr Kharlukhi has made it very clear that they have already decided to field somebody else in our place – so there is no room for us.

So when there is no room in our brother’s house we have to go and look for a room in our father’s house.”

The former Selsella MLA said they have made the decision to join the BJP at the right time and that it is not too late. She said that they are not going against anybody but will focus on their own agendas to fight and win the elections.