Flatly denying that there is a wave of support for the nascent Voice of the People Party (VPP), National People’s Party spokesperson Bajop Pyngrope MDC has said that the whole buzz around the opposition party is mere eyewash.
The VPP holds just four seats in the current Assembly but overcame the odds even to secure that many for a new political force. It has also captured the imagination by ramping up the debate on the controversial roster system and job reservation policy, ensuring that it is almost always in the news.
“I don’t believe that there is a VPP wave,” Pyngrope told Highland Post. “The VPP is just an eyewash for the emotional, the innocent and those who don’t know the truth.”
The VPP’s continuing demands for a recent cut-off date in the implementation of the roster system and even a rejig of the reservation quotas between the Garo and Khasi-Jaintia communities could lead to unwelcome repercussions, Pyngrope said. “Who will take responsibility if the Supreme Court intervenes on the matter and reduces the 80 per cent to 50?” he asked, referring to the 80 per cent (split evenly) reservation between Garo and Khasi-Jaintia communities in state government jobs and the fear that the apex court would, if the matter is brought to its attention, to 50 per cent.
Pyngrope also said that the NPP will never engage in communal politics nor allow others to do so.
“They (VPP) did not get the people’s mandate and they cannot do whatever they like. We the NPP will also come with a brief report on this matter,” he added.
When asked about the NPP’s defeat in the recent Sohiong by-election, he defended its choice of Samlin Malngiang, who won more than 13,000 votes this time compared to the 11,000 when he won the seat in 2018 on an HSPDP ticket. Pyngrope claimed, however, that all the other parties fought together to cause the NPP defeat.
Pyngrope had stirred the pot when, during campaigning, he said that the United Democratic Party (UDP), the eventual victors in Sohiong, would be thrown out of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance coalition government once the NPP won the by-poll.
Defending his conduct, he stated that it was UDP leader Titosstarwell Chyne who had instigated those comments by saying that after the UDP wins there will be a change of government.
“I just retaliated to what Chyne said because we cannot keep silent against whatever they keep saying against us. They hold us by the neck and demoralise the party workers,” Pyngrope stated, adding that the record shows that it was the UDP who started the mudslinging.
