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Shillong, Sept. 4: With an eye on the Meghalaya Assembly elections, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has mooted the idea of forming “a brand new alliance” with the “people” of state, and an “all-party government” if it is voted to power in 2013.
In an open letter to the people of the state, NCP central observer and former Rajya Sabha MP Robert Kharshiing asked the public to advise him which option — building an alliance with political parties like the Congress, UDP, HSPDP, KHNAM and others or building a brand new alliance with the people — the party should adopt.
“To forge a brand new alliance directly with all sections of people of the state and field good and honest candidates are more difficult and require a wave like an NTR wave in Andhra Pradesh or a Mamata Banerjee wave in West Bengal,” Kharshiing said.
He also stated that if voted to power, the NCP had proposed to form a consensus all-party government which would focus on development and not divisive party politics.
“All legislators will be from both ruling and Opposition, which means that they will support the government when it does well and oppose it when it does wrong. Voting will be by conscience and not according to party whip. In a small state like ours, we should work together rather than against each other, for the benefit of the people. Ministerships will be held by rotation,” Kharshiing said.
Stating that there would be “zero tolerance” for corruption under an NCP-led government, he said on the first day of assuming power, a chief minister’s advisory council would be announced. It will comprise owners and editors of print and electronic media in Meghalaya and members of all important NGOs operating in the state.
“All contracts, tenders and projects of the state will have to be passed by this council. Everything will be open. Complete transparency will be the norm,” he said and added that the Jan Lokpal Bill would be suitably modified for the state and the Lokayukta Bill passed in the first session of the Assembly itself.
The NCP leader also said “direct funding” to traditional institutions, village councils, localities, youth organisations and women’s groups would be the norm.
“An initial sum of Rs 150 crore to Rs 160 crore will be set aside in the first budget itself for direct funding. A scheme to offer an honorarium to all traditional heads of syiems, dolois, nokmas, sordars, lyngdohs, syiem raids, myntris, rangbah shnongs, Rrangbah dongs, among others, will be introduced,” Kharshiing said.
For members of the media, he said the NCP would introduce a budgetary provision to provide some sort of salary to every journalist and a one-time financial grant to all media houses.
He also said that problems relating to unemployment, tourism upgrade and providing electricity to villages would be given priority.
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