Suspended Voice of the People Party (VPP) MLA for North Shillong, Adelbert Nongrum, is of the opinion that his three-year suspension by the party is an indication that he has been effectively expelled.
Nongrum is one of four VPP legislators who won their seats in the 2023 state election and he joined the nascent party just weeks before polling. However, he was reportedly left disappointed after the party did not support his suggestions for MDCs for the Mawkhar-Pynthorumkhrah and Jaiaw seats in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) election this year.
In February, Nongrum and four disappointed ticket aspirants put out a video that went viral attacking the party. He and the other four were subsequently suspended in March from the VPP for three years.
Nongrum has seemingly found himself at loggerheads with the party on previous occasions. The party had said that the MLA rejected the party’s instructions on how to implement the MLA scheme, questioned the party’s choice of Ricky AJ Syngkon as MP candidate and did not follow the VPP’s executive committee in the tabling of private bills in the Assembly; Nongrum had been left embarrassed in the Assembly when even his own party members did not support his private bills.
For his part, Nongrum denied that he had been anti-VPP despite the disagreements, adding that he will explain the entire situation to the media after Easter. Nongrum stated that he was not anti-party but “anti-procedure”.
He said that if he was anti-party he would have come out in public during the district council elections and support other candidates. Instead, “a few days before the election I made a statement that me and my family would support the VPP. Is that being anti-party or is it being used as an excuse?” Nongrum added.
The legislator claimed that the VPP had decided to suspend him even before the council elections but delayed going public with the news for fear that it would hurt its prospects. “But I am surprised (at the suspension) since I too was involved in the formation of the VPP. The suspension indirectly shows that they have expelled me,” he added while stating that he would appeal if the VPP allows it.
