SHILLONG: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has escalated its confrontation with the ruling dispensation, with Party President Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit submitting a formal letter to the Chief Minister today. The letter demands an independent inquiry into the implementation of the MLA Scheme, effective from the year 2008.
The action follows recent comments by the Chief Minister suggesting that the implementation of the MLA Scheme was not carried out properly, particularly in constituencies represented by the opposition, a remark largely seen as targeting VPP legislators.
In his letter, Basaiawmoit praised the Chief Minister’s concern regarding the utilisation of the scheme, particularly in opposition-held seats.
“I support your sentiment that MLA schemes must be implemented accurately and transparently,” the VPP chief stated.
In his response to the CM’s statement, Basaiawmoit informed that the party had already instructed its own MLAs since their inception to strictly adhere to transparent practices in implementing the scheme.
Taking the matter further, Basaiawmoit formally proposed the establishment of an independent and impartial inquiry to investigate the implementation of the MLA scheme starting from 2008. He suggested the investigation should begin with the 22-Nongkrem Constituency before moving to others.
Countering the CM’s criticism, Basaiawmoit questioned the motive behind the Chief Minister’s recent statement, suggesting it might be due to “over-excitement” over recent joiners to the NPP.
He argued that the backwardness of any constituency is not solely dependent on the MLA Scheme, which only allocates a meager Rs. 2.5 crore annually.
“The annual Rs 2.5 crore is too small to truly elevate a constituency. The state or a constituency only progresses if all schemes from various government departments are implemented effectively, and this is the prime responsibility of the state government,” he asserted.
He further defended his own track record, pointing out that after serving two terms (2008-2018) and losing in 2018, the people re-elected him in 2023 with a “landslide victory,” which would not have been possible if his previous performance had been lacking. He accused the ruling side of attempting to mislead the public with arguments lacking proper foundation.
In a separate but related development, Mawlai MLA Brightstarwell Marbaniang also submitted a letter today concerning the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund (CMSDF).
The MLA pointed out that Rs 10 lakh is allocated to each MLA under this fund, and although he has submitted proposals covering the 2023-2026 period, the funds have yet to be released.
Marbaniang stated that the CM’s act of singling out opposition MLAs is baseless because the government has not even been able to release the funds for the CMSDF, which is a much smaller allocation.
