A day after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi, rebel MLAs of the National People’s Party, Ferlin Sangma and Benedic Marak, today accused NPP national president and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma of sidelining them.
Ferlin and Benedic, along with Trinamool Congress MLA Himalaya Shangpliang and independent Samuel Sangma (who was an associate member of the United Democratic Party), joined the BJP yesterday.
It has been rumoured that, in the upcoming election, Conrad will contest from Selsella constituency, which is Ferlin’s seat. Although she refused to make any comment on it, she confirmed that the state NPP president told her that the party was fielding someone else in her place.
“We (she and Benedic) had no say and we were driven out but nevertheless we gracefully followed and accepted whatever decisions our leaders took. It is an open secret that it was a predetermined plan by the party against us,” she said. “Many times my voice or decision were not heard, neither honoured. I suffered a lot of pain and humiliation but I took it in a positive way.”
Benedic, for his part, has been warring with the NPP ever since he was removed as Chief Executive Member of the GHADC. The Raksamgre MLA and MDC said he had been with the NPP due to Conrad’s late father, Purno A Sangma.
“We knew how his father used to work and did things but after his father passed away, look at what he has done to the party,” Benedic stated, describing the situation as a disaster.
NPP MLA from Phulbari constituency, SG Esmatur Mominin, has also been denied a ticket to contest the 2023 elections. He has yet to commit publicly to a new party, however.
Meanwhile, Shangpliang is now in his third party in less than five years, having won his seat through the Congress Party in 2018 before defecting to the TMC last year and now making the switch to the BJP.
One of the reasons he jumped ship a second time is because, he said, his Mawsynram constituents were unwilling to accept the TMC.
“I tried to convince the people of my constituency but they said that it is not a party they could love to be in,” Shangpliang said, adding that it was they who suggested he join the saffron brigade. “The rural people have seen and understood how much [Prime Minister Narendra ]Mod has helped them during Covid-19. Till date the rice that the Centre has given (during the pandemic) is popularly known as ‘Modi rice’.”
