Shillong, June 6 (IANS): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday welcomed the resignation of two of its leaders in Meghalaya who quit over the new cattle trade and slaughter rules.
While Bachu Marak resigned on Monday, Bernard Marak quit last week.
“These persons were actively working to sabotage the prospects of our candidates for the state elections next year. They were aspirants themselves and the party did not see them as winning candidates,” said Nalin Kohli, the BJP General Secretary in-charge of Meghalaya.
“We welcome it since disciplinary action against him (Bachu Marak) was in process,” he added in a Whatsapp message.
Kohli said: “The BJP is gearing up to contest the coming Meghalaya election on a positive agenda of development and exposing the rampant corruption, unfulfilled promises and lack of development under the Congress government of Mukul Sangma.”
He added: “... the Congress is trying to communalise the agenda with untruth that the BJP wants to impose a beef ban in Meghalaya.
Bachu Marak, the district president of the BJP in North Garo Hills, quit alleging that party leaders were “attempting to impose its non-secular ideology on the indigenous people in Meghalaya”.
Earlier, Bernard Marak, who quit as the district president in West Garo Hills, accused the BJP of “not respecting the tradition and culture of the indigenous people”.
Bachu Marak’s resignation came after Bernard Marak’s, who as the district president of the BJP in West Garo Hills, had accused that the leaders of the party were “not respecting the tradition and culture of the indigenous people”.
“As a responsible leader, I cannot mislead the people and allow them (BJP) to impose the non-secular ideology on us. They cannot impose the beef ban in our state,” Marak told IANS over phone.
“Beef is one of our traditional diets and no government can restrict people’s food habit. The moment they impose such restriction the ruling party would surely lose people’s confidence,” he said.
Last week, some BJP leaders in the state had threatened to quit the party if the central government refused to repeal the new cattle trade and slaughter rules.
“Most party leaders in Meghalaya are not happy with the new rules which are directly affecting the socio-economic status of the people,” BJP Vice President John Antonius Lyngdoh said.
“We cannot accept the new rules on cattle trade and slaughter. We cannot go against our food behaviour besides putting the economic interest of those people dealing in cattle trade and slaughter in jeopardy,” he said.
Meghalaya opposition parties form alliance, rule out tie-up with BJP
Shillong, June 6 (IANS): The opposition Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the United Democratic Party, which have formed a pre-poll alliance, on Tuesday declared they would not have any truck with the BJP or the Congress.
HSPDP spokesman Londoner M. Sohtun said that Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was in a "confused state of mind" with the emergence of the pre-poll alliance.
"It seems the Chief Minister is now confused since people of the state have shifted their focus to the alliance of the two regional parties. His statement is only to spread false propaganda about the alliance," Sohtun said.
Sangma, veteran Congress legislator, had earlier claimed the pre-poll alliance would lead to a back-door alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"From the beginning, we have made up our mind we will not have any alliance with either the BJP or Congress," Sohtun said.
The HSPDP spokesman recalled that there were talks about Sangma joining the BJP.
Pointing out the HSPDP is not a member of the BJP-led North East Development Alliance (NEDA), Sohtun said: "NEDA has nothing to do with the HSPDP-UDP alliance and the HSPDP is not an alliance of the NEDA as claimed by Sangma. But it is very clear the Chief Minister and Congress party are exasperated with the emergence of the regional parties alliance."
Echoing a similar view, Leader of Opposition and UDP chief Donkupar Roy said he is amused by the Chief Minister's views.
"We believe either in a pre-poll alliance or post-poll alliance and there is nothing like back-door or front-door alliance," he added.
Roy also made it clear the UDP is not having any pre-poll alliance with the BJP for the elections to the 60 members Meghalaya Assembly scheduled to be held in February-March next year.
"The Chief Minister is very desperate after formation of the UDP-HSPDP alliance. Why should Mukul Sangma blame regional parties for the rise of the BJP? It is the failure of the Congress party which gave rise to the BJP both at the Centre and state," he said.
