Set to contest the 2023 state assembly elections, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Vincent H Pala said he decided to find a solution to the “increasing poverty” in the coal belt of East Jaintia Hills.
Pala is a Member of Parliament from the Shillong Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress is counting on Pala’s clout in the Meghalaya elections and has asked him to leave Delhi and focus entirely on the state.
Pala, who is expected to contest from Sutanga-Saipung constituency, said he has found families who are unable to even repair their dilapidated houses.
The MPCC chief said, during his door-to-door visits, he realized that the people living in the coal belt areas had lost faith in politics.
Criticizing the National People’s Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, Pala said the people of Meghalaya were in favor of legal mining of coal, but the government was deliberately delaying it.
“Instead of making a proposal to Delhi for making a law or amending the law, the government is sitting on it. They don’t want scientific mining; They don’t want legal mining. They want to continue with illegal methods for their personal gains,” he said, adding that scientific mining would greatly benefit the people, but the government wanted to “reserve” these benefits only for certain sections of the society.
“Poverty will persist unless the government takes the initiative to develop policies that protect livelihoods and reduce poverty. I was very happy to be an MP, but I decided to contest the assembly elections because I have seen the suffering of the people. It is my duty to help and protect them,” he said, adding, “I have been working at the center for so many years.”
When asked about the campaign, Pala said, “We are forming units at different blocks and polling stations. We are in the process of designing the campaign. Whenever we go to a village, people are happy to see us. They have started campaigning among themselves as well.
Pala said that many leaders within the Congress are keen to contest the Lok Sabha elections from this coveted seat.
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