BJP will make NPP go the AGP way: Congress in Meghalaya

Regional parties in Meghalaya align with BJP out of fear and not love, Congress said

A man walks past a spray painted message ahead of the Meghalaya elections in Shillong, on January 20, 2023. Meghalaya will vote to elect its next state government in February. | Photo Credit: AP

The BJP will weaken and eventually devour the National People’s Party (NPP), the Congress said in poll-bound Meghalaya.

The BJP is a minor partner of the Conrad K. Sangma-headed NPP in the Meghalaya government. The two parties, as has been the strategy in previous elections, have no pre-poll alliance.

The Congress, which was the single-largest party in Meghalaya in 2018 with 21 of the 60 Assembly seats, lost all its MLAs by 2022. While 12 joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), five were suspended for aligning with the NPP-led coalition government.

“The BJP will weaken and eventually swallow the NPP,” Bobbeeta Sharma, Congress media coordinator, told journalists in Shillong.

She gave the example of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which once ruled Assam on its own but is now a minor partner of the BJP.

“The AGP helped BJP get a toehold in Assam and become the dominant party. The NPP will have a similar fate,” Ms Sharma said.

Fellow party coordinator, Matthew Anthony said the BJP does not respect regionalism and the regional parties in Meghalaya’s coalition government aligned with the saffron party out of fear and not love.

“These parties know that if they don’t fall in line with the BJP, sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate will come knocking,” he said.

The Congress slammed the BJP for making noises about corruption in Meghalaya’s coalition government without doing anything about it.

NPP wades into TMC

State NPP president and Rajya Sabha member, W.R. Kharlukhi said TMC has been using a “dowry technique” to woo the voters in Meghalaya.

The TMC has promised ₹1,000 to a woman in each family and the creation of 3 lakh jobs if voted to power.

“Will they pay from their party funds if they are not elected? Let them tell the people they are going to give ₹1,000 whether or not they are elected. That will be a real promise,” Mr Kharlukhi said.

He cited reports on the TMC not fulfilling many promises made ahead of the West Bengal elections.

“If this party can lie to the people on its home turf and to its own people, it can very well do so in Meghalaya,” he said.