Looking to expand in the Christian-majority state, the BJP blames NPP-led govt for blocking the rally in the Centre-funded stadium. CM Conrad Sangma says all in EC hands as model poll code in place
The Meghalaya government denying permission to the BJP to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally at the P A Sangma Stadium, located in Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s home constituency of South Tura in West Garo Hills district, is the latest flashpoint in the souring relationship between the National People’s Party (NPP) and its post-2018 ally in the incumbent Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government.
Since 2018, the BJP has been a junior partner in the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government. However, ahead of the elections, the two parties decided to go solo and fight for the 60-member Assembly on their own steam. Since then, the NPP and BJP have been engaged in a public war of words.
“It is a big insult,” said Earnest Mawrie, the state unit president of the BJP, speaking to The Indian Express about the denial of permission. “This stadium was funded by the BJP-led Central government. Imagine denying permission to the Prime Minister of the country. Condemnable.”On Monday, CM Conrad Sangma denied the allegations and said that his government had “no role to play” in denying permission for the PM’s rally.
“All permissions come from the side of the Election Commission of India, and based on its direction, the district administration takes action. So there is no say from the NPP or my side; dragging our name into it is completely wrong. Even I haven’t got permission for many of my rallies,” Sangma said on Monday.
The much-awaited P A Sangma stadium — named after the former chief minister and the father of Conrad Sangma — was built at a cost of Rs 127 crore and inaugurated by CM Conrad Sangma on December 16, 2022. The football ground is the country’s largest pre-engineered composite stadium and the first natural ground of international standards in the state.
Sangma said the BJP was making it into a “big issue”. “But we have already said in the beginning that the stadium has two parts. The first part consists of the football stadium, which is ready and it was inaugurated. The other part, which has an indoor stadium and swimming pool, is not ready and we had made it clear. Only half is ready and the other part is not ready,” Sangma said.
He added that PM Modi’s rally is bound to have a “huge crowd”. “So, I feel that the district administration may have felt that if too many people come, it will damage the natural turf. Also there is no parking there,” Sangma said.
On Sunday, BJP national general secretary Rituraj Sinha had told reporters it was “amusing” to see that the stadium was declared “incomplete and unavailable” for the PM’s rally, just two months after inauguration. “Are Conrad Sangma and Mukul Sangma scared of us? They are trying to stall the BJP’s wave in Meghalaya,” he was quoted in a PTI news report.
Sinha also said all rival parties have been taken aback by the good response to rallies by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.With the sports department denying permission, citing construction work at the venue, the BJP is now considering an alternative venue at the Alotgre Cricket Stadium. “As the P A Sangma stadium is ‘still under construction’, the application was forwarded to the Sports Department, Shillong, by the returning officer. They have communicated that it will not be fit to host such a big gathering, with construction going on and materials still on the site that may pose safety concerns,” Swapnil Tembe, District Election Officer, West Garo Hills (under which Tura falls)
The stadium was at the centre of controversy in January too. On a state visit, MoS (Minority Affairs) John Barla, had accused the NPP government of “not crediting” the Centre for the funding. Mawrie said it was sad that “in no part of the compound or premise was it mentioned that the project was funded by the Centre under PM Modi. It’s only Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s name, his sister Agatha’s name and brother James name everywhere.” Agatha is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Tura, while James is seeking re-election from the Dadenggre constituency.
PM Modi is scheduled to campaign in Shillong and Tura on February 24. Amit Shah is slated to address two public meetings in Shillong on Monday, in his second trip in a week.
While the BJP got two seats in the 2018 election, the party is “seriously” contesting all 60 seats this year. With very little presence in a predominantly Christian state, its attempt is not only to increase the number of seats and vote share, but also to install its own chief minister.
In the run up to the polls, the party has led an aggressive campaign, and often hit-out at its former ally NPP for its performance over the last five years. While addressing a rally in Dalu block in West Garo Hills last week, Shah accused Conrad and the NPP of “corruption and filling its coffers with poor people’s money”.NPP spokesperson Bajop Pyngrope dismissed the BJP’s allegations about denial of permission. “The model code of conduct is in place. CM Conrad Sangma is only a ‘caretaker’ chief minister right now. It is not the NPP-led government that denied the permission, but the ECI and the sports department. In fact, even our party is not getting permission to hold events at some locations,” he said.