Guwahati: The United Democratic Party (UDP) in Meghalaya appears to have decided that a Khasi MP should be in charge of the state following the elections.
Process T Sawkmie, a Mawlai candidate for the UDP on February 11 urged a Khasi Chief Minister to head the following administration.
“The new government must be led by Khasis, our people. We are worn out because Dr. Mukul Sangma has served as Chief Minister since 2010 for eight years. For the next five years, another Sangma—Conrad K. Sangma—served as our chief minister. Where are the political leaders of the Khasi, whether they are Lyngdohs, Syiems, Kharkongors, and so on? At a common platform organized by the Mawlai Iewrynghep Dorbar on the grounds of Mawlai Presbyterian Higher Secondary School in Iewrynghep on Saturday, Sawkmie asked, “Why don’t we have any Khasi leader who is fit to be the CM?” said Sawkmie.
Sawkmie added that a Garo CM diverts construction projects from Garo Hills. He added that state sports enthusiasts had anticipated the construction of an international-caliber stadium in Shillong, but instead it was relocated to Tura.
“Tura will even house the first state university. This merely demonstrates how much we lose by having a CM from Garo Hills. The UDP candidate stated, “It is high time we have a CM from the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region so that a major project will not be diverted to Garo Hills.”
The fact that Meghalaya has had 12 chief ministers since 1972—seven of them are from the Khasi Hills.
Darwin Diengdoh Pugh, Brington Buhai Lyngdoh, Donwa Dethwelson Lapang, Evansius Kek Mawlong, Dr. Flinder Anderson Khonglam, J. Dringwell Rymbai, and Dr. Donkupar Roy are among the Khasi chief ministers on the list.
The chief ministers of the Garo are Capt. Williamson Ampang Sangma, Purno Agitok Sangma, Salseng C Marak, Dr. Mukul Manda Sangma, and Conrad Kongkal Sangma, who is currently in charge.
In an earlier statement, Sawkmie alleged that the national parties lacked awareness for the issues facing indigenous peoples and questioned their motivations.
Sawkmie stated, “Therefore, we require a government led by the regional party that will give due importance to issues affecting the local indigenous population.”
He also questioned why the central government was taking so long to implement ILP in the state despite the fact that the State Assembly had passed a resolution on the subject.
When the MoU was questioned over the interstate border issue with Assam, Sawkmie responded that land belonging to Meghalaya had been transferred to Assam, but no land from Assam had been given to Meghalaya.
The NPP’s Teiborlang Pathaw, the Congress’s Marbud Dkhar, the VPP’s Brightstarwell Marbaniang, the TMC’s Stepbourne Kupar Ryndem, and the BJP’s Wandonbok Jyrwa were among the other candidates who attended the common platform.