Already fighting internal rumblings of discontent, the State unit of the BJP lashed out at Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma over his recent statement that the party’s two legislators want to remove BJP state President Ernest Mawrie.
Sanbor Shullai, the party’s MLA for South Shillong, confirmed his displeasure with Mawrie, branding him a dictator.
In a statement today, BJP spokesman, Bernard Marak, said that the party stood by the State party president and retorted that Sangma, of the NPP, is desperately trying to divide the BJP ahead of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections in April.
“Conrad Sangma commenting on internal matters of the BJP is a desperate attempt to divide the State BJP and those talking in favour of the Conrad-led government are those who support corruption,” said Marak.
“People are fed up with the ongoing corruption and have lost faith in the NPP, so they (the NPP) want to control the BJP,” Marak added.
He also said that the people of Garo Hills have lost faith in the NPP because of claims of corruption in the previous GHADC and the non-payment of salaries to council employees.
Marak claimed that there was a wave of support coming the BJP’s way, which had led the NPP to try and sabotage the saffron party.
Mawrie and Marak have been the two public figures who have voiced BJP claims of corruption on the part of the GHADC to the greatest extent. Their allegations have also extended to illegal coal mining and public displeasure at measures taken by the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government, of which the BJP is a member.
“As a result, the chief minister is peeved with the BJP State president,” Marak stated, adding that the NPP fears that “if the BJP is elected to power, we will reveal the truth about the manipulations, misappropriations and conspiracies against the GHADC and the people of Garo Hills.”
Marak who is also the BJP State vice president also stated that 99 per cent of party members in Meghalaya support Mawrie and he slammed Shullai for his comments.
On the ground, BJP stands united against corruption. Conrad played the same game in the GHADC where he included one BJP in the executive committee and kept others in opposition, dividing the party. Even now he is spreading negative information about the party to lure BJP workers to the NPP. Unlike in the last elections, the BJP will win a good number of seats in the GHADC election and that will be a strong message that we are united against corruption,” he stated.
