Former MDC and current state cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh of the United Democratic Party (UDP) launched a scathing attack against the Voice of the People Party (VPP) today, accusing the party of inexperience and poor preparation in the functioning of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC).
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the KHADC summer session, Lyngdoh said the VPP cannot continue to use inexperience as an excuse after assuming elected office. “Once you are elected, you can no longer claim that you are still learning the ropes. That is simply not acceptable,” he asserted.
He stressed that all elected MDCs are expected to be well-acquainted with the Sixth Schedule, as well as the laws, rules and regulations governing the council’s functioning. “You have entered a profession where you are expected to lead. It should have been incumbent upon every elected MDC to read and understand the legal framework under which the Council operates,” Lyngdoh said.
The VPP administration has been embarrassed by certain actions it has taken, such as terminating employees (which was reversed by the High Court) and setting up a toll gate on a National Highway (in contravention of the KHADC’s own rules). “It is surprising that the council would issue orders that do not stand the test of legal scrutiny,” Lyngdoh said drily. “Which authority on Earth would allow another agency to collect revenue from a road built and funded by the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India), which is still recovering its investment?” Lyngdoh questioned, calling these “fundamental issues” that require basic common sense rather than political experience.
Taking a direct swipe at the VPP’s leadership, Lyngdoh said, “The VPP president (Ardent Basaiawmoit, the Nongkrem MLA) has been part of several political parties in the state. So how do you talk of inexperience?”
Criticising the party’s choice of candidates, he remarked, “You don’t just pick up people from dhabas and roadsides and dump them in the council. That’s not done. It’s an insult to the electorate.”
