A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: National People’s Party (NPP) Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) from Meghalaya Wanwei Roy Kharlukhi said that losing is part of politics.
“At the same time it depends on the situation you are facing. This time this side (Shillong seat) we are facing a wave and that side (Tura seat) too we are facing a wave,” Kharlukhi said. Assessing the recent loss, he said that they did so not because the BJP supported the NPP. Roy was commenting on the drubbing the NPP received in the recent Lok Sabha polls where they lost in both the Shillong and Tura seat. The Tura seat was held by NPP’s Agatha K Sangma when she lost to Salend Sangma of the Congress.
According to him the NPP were defeated because of the Reservation Policy.
According to him in Khasi-Jaintia hills region people wanted a review of the Reservation Policy and citizens looked at the NPP as being anti and in Garo hills they don’t want a review and people there looked at the Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, as one who cater to the need of the Khasi-Jaintia hills region.
Appreciating the Chief Minister, Kharlukhi said that there are times in politics for the sake of the unity of the state it is better that a party lose an election.
“But as a statesman you have to decide what is right at the height of that agitation, the Chief Minister had to convene a meeting and agree to a review because ion his seeing this is the only way out and I think it hit him that side (Tura) and it hit us this side (Shillong),” he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said that if the Lok Sabha result was a win for clean politics (in Shillong seat) then it is good. But if this election is won because of the hunger strike to review the Reservation Policy I will tell you it is a bad sign,” Kharlukhi cautioned.
It may be mentioned that in 2023, Voice of the People Party president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit sat on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding a review of the State Reservation Policy after which the government relented and subsequently a Expert Committee was formed for the purpose.
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