Shillong, Feb 15: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Wednesday released its vision document and said the party is committed to bringing transformation in the social, economic, political and cultural life of the people for the betterment.

The 10-point document said that the party has a vision that Meghalaya shall be the state that is territorially secured and economically developed where poverty is eliminated.

It said the state shall have strong and decisive leadership and that peace and public security prevails that will ensure all round development of the state.

The party also wanted that politics in the state is based on strong pillars of substantive democracy with essential features of rule of law, transparency, accountability, responsibility and equity and that the resources of the state shall be distributed equitably based on social justice and shall be sustainably used.

Asserting the need to maintain and strengthen the traditional land ownership system, the VPP also assured to ensure the environment and the eco system shall be restored and preserved and that Meghalaya shall be an investment friendly state.

The party also assured to empower the youth of the state to be morally and intellectually capable of competing with the rest of the world and to ensure Meghalaya shall be the state where gender equity prevails.

“In short, the party envisions the Meghalaya that is restored with the old good values inherited from our forefathers; that is revived morally, intellectually and materially; and transformed into a model state for the rest of India,” it said while asserting that the VPP is strongly embedded in the principle of clean politics for achieving these noble objectives.

The VPP is fielding 18 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

The party said that the vision of the prosperous and secured Meghalaya was diluted and eventually forgotten under the growing influence of the national parties. “Regretfully, the principled and issue based politics was replaced by politics of corrupt practices characterized by horse trading, lack of accountability, irresponsibility and unethical practices,” it said.

Stating that there was a paradigm shift of politics from being the concern for common good to the politics of greed, self and family aggrandizement, the party said this is particularly true after the entry of those who view politics as the means to further their business interests.

“The entry of business centric politicians coupled with dynastic politics has produced a pernicious impact on different sectors of the life of the state whether in the fields of health, education, environment, agriculture and other economic activities, power, borders, local governance etc.”

“This has created on the one hand, disillusionment amongst the people who even questioned whether there is anything that the state should be proud of in the last five decades,” it said.

The VPP said, on the other hand, the political leaders have inculcated the dependency syndrome in the minds of the people for their short-term political gains no matter how disastrous it would be for the future of the state.

“It is rather unthinkable that Meghalaya which is blessed with rich resources would be the fifth poorest state in India and the poorest in North eastern region,” it said while adding that it is against the above background that the VPP was formed with the commitment that the party will be able to strive towards reviving and restore the lost values and lost glory.