A further obstacle to NPP-BJP harmony in Garo Hills was made apparent today after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took offence at comments apparently made by the National People’s Party’s (NPP) MLA for Mahendraganj, Sanjay A Sangma.
The BJP high command decided not to field any candidate in Meghalaya’s two Lok Sabha seats and instead support the NPP’s choices, namely Agatha in Tura and Ampareen Lyngdoh in Shillong. While the NPP appears to have gained the backing of the BJP members for the Shillong seat, the same cannot yet be said for Tura.
Bernard N Marak, the state BJP vice-president and Tura MDC, called for an apology from Sanjay for allegedly offending the sentiments of the Koch, Hajong and other non-tribal members of the Hindu community as well as for discriminating against BJP supporters.
In a letter to NPP national president and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who is also a relative of Sanjay, Bernard said that Sanjay’s remarks at a meeting where the CM was present have deeply offended BJP supporters, particularly those from the Hindu community in Garo Hills.
Bernard criticised Sanjay’s statement about “switching off” the BJP candidate as discriminatory and humiliating to BJP supporters as well as denigrating to the Koch, Hajong and other non-tribal Hindu communities, insinuating that they have nowhere to vote because NPP “switched off” the BJP candidate. Bernard also accused Sanjay of attempting to portray the BJP as being under the NPP’s control in Garo Hills.
Bernard called on Sanjay to apologise for his remarks and to refrain from making “discriminatory” speeches against BJP supporters and the Hindu community.
