Shillong, Aug 31: Rival political parties have continually talked up the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Hindu-centric roots to hurt the BJP’s growth in Christian majority Meghalaya but the party is working on ways to counter this narrative.
Speaking to reporters after a party meeting yesterday, BJP Meghalaya chief spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang said that this issue was discussed at length.
The BJP, despite being in power nationally for over a decade and having expanded its footprint in the North East, has consistently faced difficulties to its growth in Meghalaya, where it has just two MLAs even though enormous resources have been poured into the state.
“From what I see the only challenge for the BJP in Meghalaya is only the religious card which is being played by all political parties who are against the [BJP],” Kharkrang said. “If people look beyond it, the party can establish a strong foothold.”
During the organisational meeting, experts and speakers from Delhi deliberated on the party’s grassroot development strategy and booth-level organisation.
According to Kharkrang, the meeting emphasised the party’s commitment to developing India from the grassroots.
Regarding the upcoming Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) election, Kharkrang clarified that it was not discussed in the meeting as it is a state election.
BJP members frequently accuse the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), with which the BJP is in an alliance, of taking credit for central government schemes. On this, Kharkrang took the high road and said that his party’s focus is on ensuring that deserving people receive the benefits, regardless of who gets the credit. “We are not bothered about credit; our priority is to ensure that the schemes reach the people who deserve them,” he stated.
