The Meghalaya public have largely lost faith in national parties, thereby opening a way forward for the United Democratic Party (UDP), its general secretary, Jemino Mawthoh has said.
However, the opportunity for the regional party may be why it appears to be targeted from other corners.
“The UDP only got six MLAs in the 2018 elections. I do not understand why everyone is going hammer and tongs at UDP,” Mawthoh said.
He added that perhaps that others fear that the UDP will make a strong showing in the 2023 elections that explains the brickbats that have recently come its way from the new president of the Congress Party’s Meghalaya committee.
Stating that the Congress has ruled the state for the longest period when compared to others, Mawthoh said that all the ills and problems today have been inherited from the Congress, be it illegal coal mining, border skirmishes, failure in the education sector, youth unrest, unemployment, farmers’ plight, high infant mortality, poor investment in the tourism sector and so on.
He said that the Congress never genuinely tried to safeguard the interest of the indigenous people or protect the state’s minorities.
“Congress has always been the ruling party and they are not used to being in opposition. They are desperate to topple the government and that’s why they are firing at the UDP to withdraw support from this government. This is politics at its lowest ebb,” he added.
