PM Modi's Shillong visit was a "wrong timing", Conrad has blundered : Trinamool

Nirendra Dev *

Trinamool leader - Elgiva Rynjah

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Shillong visit on Sunday, Dec 18, was on a "strong timing" and NPP leader and Meghalaya Chief Minister did a "blunder" by addressing the function in Hindi, Trinamool Congress candidate for North Shillong Ms Elgiva Rynjah has said.

"The Prime Minister came to Meghalaya on a wrong timing...it was a Sunday..on Sundays as a Christian I don't go to the podium and address a function. But you see, our Chief Minister being a Christian himself (Mr Conrad) not only addressed the gathering...he also spoke in Hindi," she told this journalist.

"You know why he did that ...because he wants to get green signals from Narendra Modi...and I will tell you today, Mr Conrad Sangma has made a blunder. Welcome to the world of politics...and may be he is still a kid," said the 32-year-old and one of the Youngest candidates in February 2023 polls.

Of course even a section of citizens in the state capital said the state BJP leaders should have briefed the party high command and the Government of India and and advised to avoid the NEC Golden Jubilee function on a Sunday.

Trinamool leader Ms Elgiva said, "The BJP is just not sensitive to the Christian sentiment. Even during Congress Government in the state when Mukul Sangma was the Chief Minister if Indira Gandhi’s birthday fell on a Sunday we celebrated it either the previous day or the next day".

In this context, she claimed as it hurt the Christian sentiment in the past as well when the Modi government made Dec 25th the Good Governance Day on the Christmas day because Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday falls on Dec 25.

"Our leaders Mukul Sangma and party supremo Mamata Banerjee are sensitive to these and we will change these once we are in power," she said adding no central government employees in Meghalaya will be forced to work like these on a Sunday or on the Christmas day.

However, the BJP leaders are making light of the opposition charge vis-a-vis holding of NEC function on a Sunday and said they are raking up these non issues as all of them know that BJP's Trump card is Development and parties such as Trinamool Congress do not have any positive claims on these lines.

"These are old tricks tried by our rivals...They were perhaps successful in 2018 also. But now five years have gone, we were in power of course as a smaller partner but no church was closed or no food was banned " says BJP leader L Michael Kharsyntiew.

"In fact under regional party NPP what Meghalaya got is corruption and lack of development," he said adding people of Meghalaya realise that there is no railway, no engineering or medical college in the state.

"So, I believe that if people want to vote for change and development then the BJP and PM Modi's vision are the answers," Mr Michael said.

Another BJP ticket aspirant from Shillong North M Kharkrang, said --- "I have come to the conclusion that all the states ruled by BJP, they have shown immense development. That was something underlined by the Prime Minister's visit on Sunday".

To a question, he sounded critical against ally NPP led by Conrad Sangma and said -- "One thing is clear various developmental schemes that have been given by the central government have not reached the beneficiaries. So this is also one of the issues we will highlight. "

He further said the failure was chiefly by the NPP as as it is they who ran the government and BJP only had two legislators in the 60-member assembly.

In Meghalaya elections are due in February and on Sunday though Prime Minister Modi addressed an official NEC function and also an IIM students' gathering,, the occasions were suitably used to virtually launch BJP's poll campaign. The Prime Minister also visited another poll bound state of Tripura and addressed a public gathering at Agartala.

In most assembly segments in Meghalaya the stage is almost getting ready for multi cornered contest. Shillong North which houses a substantial non local and Hindu population may witness nine cornered contest. Trinamool leader Ms Elgiva denies her party will be a vote cutter party.

"We are serious contender as a party of future in Meghalaya and we will form government under the leadership of former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma," she said. Ms Elgiva said in fact Trinamool is the only party which is serious to fight BJP and prevent it's expansion in Meghalaya and other parts of the northeast.

"All regional parties in Meghalaya...be it be UDP or NPP of Conrad Sangma have done business with the BJP and will also do so in future....we will never do anything such," she said adding "corruption in Meghalaya cannot be attributed only to NPP...it has been corruption of the entire Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government".

To a question, she said, "The saddest part is even the Congress which stands against BJP in directly supported Conrad Sangma and the BJP when the five MLAs supported the MDA government". To a question she denied that teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal will have negative impact to Trinamool poll prospects in Meghalaya.

"Whatever happens in Bengal stays in Bengal...," she said.

But to the question on Trinamool Congress getting the tag of a "Bengali party" in Meghalaya, Ms Elgiva said -- "I believe Mr Mukul Sangma took the right decision by joining the Trinamool Congress. I also don't believe Trinamool Congress is a Bengali party because...in such a situation should we say even our national anthem penned and sung by a Bengali himself is a Bengali anthem. So, my question is why is India singing that national anthem".