News Analysis India

Tag: National People’s Party

  • Be wary of BJP or it’ll swallow you: Congress to Conrad Sangma’s NPP in Meghalaya

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The Congress has cautioned the National People’s Party (NPP), which heads the ruling coalition in Meghalaya, to be wary of the BJP or be swallowed by it.

    Citing an example, the Congress said the BJP had penetrated into Assam by riding piggyback on the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and almost swallowed it.

    All India Congress Committee media coordinators Bobbeeta Sharma and Matthew Anthony told journalists in Shillong that the NPP might face a similar fate.

    The NPP is least perturbed. The party said it is No 1 in Meghalaya and efforts are on to further consolidate it.

    “We don’t need to agree or disagree to anything which any other political party may say. We are doing our job. We are the No 1 party and we are working hard to build it further. We are confident,” NPP spokesperson Ampareen Lyngdoh told this newspaper. 

    The BJP had forged an alliance with the AGP in 2016 to avoid the split of anti-Congress votes. The Congress, under the then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, was going great guns after having formed the government three times in a row. However, the BJP’s alliance with the AGP and the Bodoland People’s Front turned out to be a masterstroke. The three-party combine ousted the Congress from power and formed a coalition government.

    The AGP had dished out a sterling performance, winning 14 seats. The BJP-AGP alliance continued but the latter suffered in the 2021 polls with its tally of MLAs going down to nine. In both elections, the BJP had won an identical 60 seats.

    The BJP has two MLAs in Meghalaya. One of them is a minister. However, the party’s ties with alliance partner NPP are on the rocks after it cornered the latter on the issue of alleged corruption.

    The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 elections but the BJP was instrumental in forming the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) and capturing power. Some smaller regional parties are also the components of the ruling coalition.

    Meanwhile, the Congress said Meghalaya urgently needs to be free from corruption and scams which are clogging the system of governance. 

    “There is so much of corruption that even the state BJP president was compelled to comment against its ally NPP. The BJP issued a statement where it slammed the NPP for denying people development projects due to corruption, lack of policies, intent, and incompetence,” the Congress said in a statement.

    The Congress had won 21 seats in the last elections but after a series of defections, it is now left with no MLA. Meghalaya will go to polls on February 27.

    GUWAHATI: The Congress has cautioned the National People’s Party (NPP), which heads the ruling coalition in Meghalaya, to be wary of the BJP or be swallowed by it.

    Citing an example, the Congress said the BJP had penetrated into Assam by riding piggyback on the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and almost swallowed it.

    All India Congress Committee media coordinators Bobbeeta Sharma and Matthew Anthony told journalists in Shillong that the NPP might face a similar fate.

    The NPP is least perturbed. The party said it is No 1 in Meghalaya and efforts are on to further consolidate it.

    “We don’t need to agree or disagree to anything which any other political party may say. We are doing our job. We are the No 1 party and we are working hard to build it further. We are confident,” NPP spokesperson Ampareen Lyngdoh told this newspaper. 

    The BJP had forged an alliance with the AGP in 2016 to avoid the split of anti-Congress votes. The Congress, under the then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, was going great guns after having formed the government three times in a row. However, the BJP’s alliance with the AGP and the Bodoland People’s Front turned out to be a masterstroke. The three-party combine ousted the Congress from power and formed a coalition government.

    The AGP had dished out a sterling performance, winning 14 seats. The BJP-AGP alliance continued but the latter suffered in the 2021 polls with its tally of MLAs going down to nine. In both elections, the BJP had won an identical 60 seats.

    The BJP has two MLAs in Meghalaya. One of them is a minister. However, the party’s ties with alliance partner NPP are on the rocks after it cornered the latter on the issue of alleged corruption.

    The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 elections but the BJP was instrumental in forming the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) and capturing power. Some smaller regional parties are also the components of the ruling coalition.

    Meanwhile, the Congress said Meghalaya urgently needs to be free from corruption and scams which are clogging the system of governance. 

    “There is so much of corruption that even the state BJP president was compelled to comment against its ally NPP. The BJP issued a statement where it slammed the NPP for denying people development projects due to corruption, lack of policies, intent, and incompetence,” the Congress said in a statement.

    The Congress had won 21 seats in the last elections but after a series of defections, it is now left with no MLA. Meghalaya will go to polls on February 27.

  • Meghalaya: Sangma tweaks poll tactics, puts Trinamool on backfoot

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Changing his election tactics, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who is the national president of National People’s Party (NPP), publicly announced the name of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA as the NPP candidate in the Tikrikilla seat.

    “Great to be at Paham in Tikrikilla, West Garo Hills after a month to address supporters of the NPP where we also welcomed new members to the party. Apprised them about the work of the NPP-led MDA Government & urged their support to our candidate Sh. Jimmy D Sangma,” the CM tweeted.

    Jimmy is the TMC legislator in the Tikrikilla seat. Speculations are rife that he will quit the party and embrace the NPP.

    Normally, poaching is done clandestinely and the defectors announce their crossing over. In this case, CM Sangma went public with the TMC MLA’s candidature and said he (Jimmy) is contesting as an NPP candidate. 

    Jimmy was not available for comment. The TMC said it would discuss the issue.

    “Our leaders are out of station. They will soon meet and discuss the matter. We will decide accordingly,” party MLA George B Lyngdoh told this newspaper.

    Last week, he alleged the rival political parties were making attempts to poach the TMC legislators. “Other parties are trying to weaken us. This has been going on for some time,” Lyngdoh had said.

    In November last year, 12 of the 17 Congress MLAs, led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, had jumped ship to wear TMC colours. Their desertion had relegated the grand old party to a smaller party and made the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC the state’s principal opposition dramatically overnight. It had no base in the state prior to that.

    Recently, one of the MLAs, Himalaya Shangpliang, had ditched the party to join the BJP. As the polls draw near, keeping its MLAs intact will be the biggest challenge for the TMC.

    The party has virtually captured the Congress’ space in the Garo Hills region but it will have to do a lot to consolidate its position in the two other regions of Khasi and Jaintia Hills, observers said.

    GUWAHATI: Changing his election tactics, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who is the national president of National People’s Party (NPP), publicly announced the name of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA as the NPP candidate in the Tikrikilla seat.

    “Great to be at Paham in Tikrikilla, West Garo Hills after a month to address supporters of the NPP where we also welcomed new members to the party. Apprised them about the work of the NPP-led MDA Government & urged their support to our candidate Sh. Jimmy D Sangma,” the CM tweeted.

    Jimmy is the TMC legislator in the Tikrikilla seat. Speculations are rife that he will quit the party and embrace the NPP.

    Normally, poaching is done clandestinely and the defectors announce their crossing over. In this case, CM Sangma went public with the TMC MLA’s candidature and said he (Jimmy) is contesting as an NPP candidate. 

    Jimmy was not available for comment. The TMC said it would discuss the issue.

    “Our leaders are out of station. They will soon meet and discuss the matter. We will decide accordingly,” party MLA George B Lyngdoh told this newspaper.

    Last week, he alleged the rival political parties were making attempts to poach the TMC legislators. “Other parties are trying to weaken us. This has been going on for some time,” Lyngdoh had said.

    In November last year, 12 of the 17 Congress MLAs, led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, had jumped ship to wear TMC colours. Their desertion had relegated the grand old party to a smaller party and made the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC the state’s principal opposition dramatically overnight. It had no base in the state prior to that.

    Recently, one of the MLAs, Himalaya Shangpliang, had ditched the party to join the BJP. As the polls draw near, keeping its MLAs intact will be the biggest challenge for the TMC.

    The party has virtually captured the Congress’ space in the Garo Hills region but it will have to do a lot to consolidate its position in the two other regions of Khasi and Jaintia Hills, observers said.

  • Manipur: Former allies keen to realign with BJP

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: All non-Congress political parties in Manipur are virtually queuing up to be either in the coalition or associate with the BJP that won a thumping majority.

    Among the notable is National People’s Party (NPP) which is led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

    Before and during campaigning, the NPP’s relationship with the BJP had turned sour. While Sangma had postured against the BJP even during campaigning, his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh was categorical after the results were declared that the NPP would not be a part of the government. Yet, Sangma is apparently trying to mend fences.

    “We are in touch with the BJP’s central leadership. How can they suddenly ignore us when we are a part of NEDA (North-East Democratic Alliance) and NDA?” an NPP leader said.

    BJP heads NEDA which is a conglomerate of non-Congress parties of the Northeast.

    By winning 32 of the 60 seats, the BJP is comfortably placed to form the government on its own. However, Singh had stated the BJP would align with “like-minded parties”.

    The names of the like-minded parties have not been spelled out yet. NPP and Naga People’s Front (NPF) are the two key constituents of Singh’s outgoing government.

    Immediately after the election results were declared, the NPF, which was born in Nagaland, had committed its support to the BJP.

    “We have decided to extend our support to the BJP-led government. This decision was made keeping in mind our earlier association with the BJP-led government in Manipur,” NPF leader Achumbemo Kikon had stated.

    The NPF had also come up with a letter of support with a copy addressed to Governor La Ganesan. Similarly, the Janata Dal (United) has committed its support to the BJP “in the formation of the government”.

    “The JD-U would like to appeal to the BJP to honour the mandate reposed on the party and fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the people of Manipur,” the party said against the backdrop of the CM’s statement that it is not a BJP ally in Manipur.

    In 2017, the BJP had won 21 seats against Congress’ 28, but still, it managed to form a coalition government with support from NPP, NPF, Lok Janshakti Party, All India Trinamool Congress and an Independent MLA.

  • Meghalaya MLA faces rape charge, Congress demands his removal from House panels

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: A Meghalaya woman’s filing of an FIR with the police alleging that she was sexually abused by National People’s Party (NPP) legislator Thomas Sangma made Opposition Congress to demand his removal from some Assembly panels.

    The NPP is a key constituent of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government. The accused legislator is the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Estimates and a member of the Committee on Public Accounts. He is also the chief advisor to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.

    In a letter to Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh, senior Congress leader Ampareen Lyngdoh said given the seriousness of the accusation against the MLA, he should be removed from the House committees.

    “When a serious accusation of this nature arises against a member of this Assembly, it shocks the conscience of society and puts a huge expectation on the representatives of the people to ensure that principles of accountability are held in utmost regard,” Lyngdoh wrote.

    She said as the chairperson of the Assembly Committee for the Empowerment of Women, she was committed to ensuring that justice was not denied, especially to women.

    Lyngdoh highlighted the case of former MLA Julius Dorphang who was removed from some House committees in 2017 after an FIR was lodged against him with a similar charge.

  • Congress emerges single-largest party in Meghalaya tribal council polls

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The election to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in Meghalaya, dubbed as the semifinal of 2023 state polls, has thrown up a fractured mandate.

    The Congress emerged as the single largest party, winning 12 of the 29 seats where elections were held on April 12. The National People’s Party (NPP), which heads the state’s ruling coalition, came a close second with 11 seats.

    The BJP, an ally of the NPP, bagged two seats while the regional Garo National Council won one seat. Three seats went to Independent candidates.

    The NPP had won 10 seats in 2015 and formed the council with members from other political parties who defected. They took advantage of the non-applicability of the anti-defection law in the state’s tribal councils.

    The BJP was ecstatic after the surprise victory in the two seats. Party MLA, AL Hek, who is also a minister, said the party’s state in-charge Chuba Ao would sit with the elected members and decide the future course of action.

    The GHADC has been mired in controversy following allegations of largescale corruption. The BJP had flagged the issue and demanded an independent probe but the government ordered a five-year audit of receipt of funds and expenditures.