Voice of the People Party (VPP) leader and Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit has apparently rowed back on comments he made in public where he accused the Meghalaya press of being paid media who were out to slur him and his party.
At a recent gathering in Pynursla, Basaiawmoit said that the local media only covers VPP events to pin point and identify faults and lacunae in the party’s affairs.
Four days ago, the Shillong Press Club (SPC) flayed Basaiawmoit for his remarks, dubbing them “unsavoury” and “baseless”.
Disappointed with his blanket attack, several media persons left the WhatsApp group the VPP had created to keep in touch with reporters.
However, several have not left the group for whatever reason and Basaiawmoit posted a message to them thanking them “from the bottom of my heart” for remaining.
“It shows you understand that I did not paint everyone with the same brush and it was just a general statement only to educate the people not to fall into the news which is not correct and misleading,” he said.
However, the legislator is not known to have issued such a clarification in public.
In its rebuttal, the SPC had called on the VPP leader to apologise and make an “adequate clarification” immediately “failing which the SPC will be compelled to take recourse to other appropriate measures.”
