Shillong, June 5: Reacting to the protest staged by VPP supporters in front of his residence recently, UDP leader and Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Monday asked the Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit-led party to accept people’s mandate. He also said the VPP is trying to ‘dictate terms’ despite winning only 4 seats.
“How can they (VPP supporters) protest when their own candidate secured fourth place in the recently held 2023 elections? I feel they should learn to accept the people’s mandate because this constituency (West Shillong) has elected Paul Lyngdoh and it is not that he has appointed himself as MLA. Why should they come here with placards? I would suggest that they wait till 2028 and carry the same placard,” he said.
He explained, “One reason why I have been targeted is because we used to say that the Motphran area is an epicentre of agitations. From this area, there are three constituencies – Mawkhar-Jaiaw, Mawlai and Mawprem. They (VPP) managed to win from Mawkhar and Mawlai but they totally failed to win from Mawprem.”
The UDP leader also alleged that the VPP is trying to dictate terms despite winning only 4 seats in the 60-member House and said, “But we will not allow them to do that as there are many people who also love the jaidbynriew. Nobody can monopolize this love for the jaidbynriew.”
Also stating that he is not conflicting with the stand of the UDP on the issue, Lyngdoh said, “I am just stating what I am seeing. Our people are highly qualified but we are trying to instil fear that if we lose jobs in the secretariat, let us fight.”
Terming the VPP’s protest as political manoeuvring, he said, “You should not be surprised when political parties indulge in political manoeuvring but there should be a line. We have to define that line. We cannot go on eternally blackmailing people emotionally.”
“Secondly, people have just elected their legislators. Now what is the need to again call them to come out from their workplaces to demonstrate in front of the secretariat? When you elect a legislator, it is his duty to represent your voice so that you can carry out your daily work,” he added.
Lyngdoh urged the VPP to engage some constitutional lawyer to help them in interpreting the Constitution while demanding reviewing of the reservation policy.
“We have our stand and apparently, they (VPP) have not fully read the constitution of India. Fundamental rights, fundamental duties, the concept of discriminatory reservation and why the state should play the role of bringing in a balance – all these are part of Article 14, 15 and 16 upto Article 30 of the Constitution of India. I guess they need to engage some constitutional lawyer to help them in interpreting the Constitution,” he said.
Lyngdoh also reiterated that the issue of reservation policy should not be a “drama competition” amongst the political parties in the state.
“This is not a drama competition to show who is a hero and who is a valiant. It does not work like that as this is about administration, governance, policy making and thought leadership. Let us be guided by that and not by our emotions. Otherwise, how many times will we review a policy based on our emotions,” he said.
Supporting the constitution of an expert committee to review the reservation policy, he said, “We need experts because no matter how educated we are we may not be able to know everything but experts on reservation policy are people who knows about the demographic profile, they know the constitution, law, jurisprudence, they know the rules and proceedings of the state assembly, legal precedence – when you all these then you are an expert. However, if a taxi driver or a street vendor will come and tell you how to run the state, then what am I being elected for?”
