National People’s Party (NPP) senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong attacked the Voice of the People’s Party (VPP) for threats made against the headmen of Mawlai for restricting campaigning within the constituency ahead of the February 21 district council election.
Tynsong was speaking at a rally yesterday in Laitlyngkot to drum up support for his nephew and NPP candidate Rahboklang Tynsong for the Langkyrdem-Laitkroh constituency.
Tynsong told the headmen not to be swayed by the threats of any political party as they were empowered by the KHADC.
The headmen under the Mawlai Town Dorbar had sought to restrict campaigning within the constituency so as to ostensibly not disturb students studying for the school exams, which begin tomorrow, and hold a unified meeting with all six candidates rather than allowing individual public meetings. This, the VPP objected to as a curtailment of its right to go to the people with its message.
“My heart hurts when I look at the Mawlai Town Dorbar,” Tynsong said, adding that all candidates and the dorbar took the joint decision to have a unified meeting instead of individual public meetings. “Unfortunately, this was followed by threats the next day. [The VPP] dared threaten traditional heads, who don’t even get paid (for their services).”
The party that threatened to file an FIR against the headmen should “stop pointing fingers at others but first look at your own shortcomings,” Tysong said.
He also hailed the KHADC under the rule of the NPP for, he claimed, empowering women’s organisations and boasted that the NPP-led state government has improved road connectivity in the state, which demonstrates its love for the local people rather than a party (read VPP) that “only knows how make big promises whereas in their own constituency the condition of the road is not even enough for a horse cart to ply.”
