SHILLONG, Oct 18: Voice of the People Party president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Sunday questioned the credibility of regional parties that campaign as defenders of indigenous interests only to switch sides once the votes are counted, taking direct aim at the eight former United Democratic Party MLAs who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Addressing an election rally at Sutnga in East Jaintia Hills in support of VPP candidate Batskhem Myrboh for the Shillong parliamentary seat by-election, Basaiawmoit said some regional formations seek votes by projecting themselves as protectors of local identity and opponents of national parties, only to align with those same parties after the elections.
The decision of the eight former UDP legislators to join the BJP, he said, had left supporters of regional politics disappointed. Many had backed such parties in the belief that they would remain true to their stated principles.
Basaiawmoit called for a political culture in which elected representatives stay answerable to the public throughout their term.
“The role of the people will not end on polling day,” he said, stressing that the VPP sought a stronger link between party leadership, the public and elected representatives so that those in office honoured their commitments.
He outlined a clear hierarchy of responsibility. “We, as party leaders, are in the first position, you the people are in the second, and the elected representatives — MLAs, MPs and MDCs — are in the third.” MDCs must work within the district councils, MLAs in the Assembly and MPs in Parliament, and all must be monitored to ensure they act according to their mandate.
Recalling past practices, Basaiawmoit alleged that leaders often took decisions among themselves while ordinary people were left to face the consequences. “People are blamed for everything. Even when leaders join the BJP or take decisions that go against public sentiment, the people are made to bear the blame,” he said.
Voters, he insisted, should not feel powerless after elections. They must continue to question their representatives and demand accountability whenever those representatives depart from their commitments. The VPP, he added, would not hesitate to take disciplinary action against its own elected members if they acted against the party’s principles.