The Congress Party fears the strength of the United Democratic Party and is thus trying to cast aspersions on it, UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh said today.
Recently, state Congress president and Shillong MP Vincent Pala said that the UDP cannot escape blame for the collapse of the dome at the under-construction new Assembly building because the Speaker, Metbah Lyngdoh, who is the UDP president, was ultimately responsible for taking the final call on the design and other matters pertaining to it.
“Pala may say anything because the UDP is increasing in strength, popularity and acceptability and he feels threatened by the UDP’s strength in 2023, so it’s natural that he will go hammer and tongs against the UDP,” Mawthoh told Highland Post. “It is natural that the UDP, which is part and parcel of the government, to get the blame but let the public know, through the inquiry, who was responsible (for the dome collapse), how the decisions were taken, right from the tendering process to selection of contractor, etc.”
Although the UDP is working with other parties in a consensus-based relationship, it is, at heart, a regional party and is therefore very different from national parties, like the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he added.
Pala has also recently alleged that the regional parties that are part of the government are mere puppets of the BJP and are bringing the state down.
