Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who is also the president of the National People's Party, today brushed off the challenge from Mamata Banerjee in the upcoming state polls, tagging her party Trinamool an "outsider". Mr Sangma added that he has the "greatest respect" for her.
"I have the greatest and the deepest respect for Mamata Banerjee and the reason is the kind of respect she has shown to our leader (PA Sangma). We Can't forget that. I have deep a sense of respect for her," he said.
Mr Sangma underlined that it will be a while before the Bengal Chief Minister's party can establish itself in the state.
"Trinamool is a political party which does not have a base in Meghalaya and it will take a long time for them to establish themselves and for the people to accept them. Also, it is the old players who have come into their fold and they also are in a divided house... During the Bengal elections, the Trinamool had taken a stand that the national parties like the Congress and the BJP don't understand the issues of Bengal and are outsiders. Similarly, on same lines, Trinamool is an outsider party in Meghalaya right now," he said launching his party's campaign at Adokgre in North Garo hills.
Trinamool became the main opposition in the state following the defection of former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and several other Congress legislators. Lunching her party's Meghalaya campaign, Mamata Banerjee announced that her party's primary focus in the elections is to fend off the BJP and its "proxies."
Mr Sangma's NPP, the only political party from the northeast that has the recognition of a national party, is the major party in the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA). BJP is a constituent of the MDA and has not entered into any prepoll understanding with any political party.
"Talking about our own coalition partners, we have always been clear with all of them that we will fight elections on our own terms. Post-election, we will review the scenario and decide how we will move forward," said Mr Sangma.
The Chief Minister said that he is confident of a good show in the polls.
"This time we are already moving forward with the vision and foundation we have laid in the last five years and showing the people how we have changed things in the last 5 years and how we will further take things in the next 50 years," he said.
Meghalaya will go to the polls on February 27. Votes will be counted on March 2.
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