Shillong, June 28, 2025 — In a scathing takedown of the Voice of the People Party (VPP), UDP legislator Paul Lyngdoh slammed the party’s leadership in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), saying, “You don’t pick up people from dhabas and roadside and dump them in the council. That’s not done. It’s an insult to the electorate.”
Lyngdoh’s sharp remarks came in response to a statement made by the Executive Member in charge of Finance, who admitted during a budget discussion that the VPP-led Executive Committee was grappling with numerous challenges due to inexperience.
Brushing aside such claims, Lyngdoh said, “But all I can say is nobody can complain that they lack experience and therefore just testing the waters. Because once you are elected, you can no longer claim that you are just learning the tricks of the trade, that is not acceptable. You have entered into a profession where you are expected to lead, you are expected to know rules, the laws, the various acts of the council. It should have been incumbent upon all elected MDCs to at least read the Sixth Schedule, read the various enactments, laws, rules.”
He further questioned the legitimacy of the inexperience narrative by pointing to the political background of the VPP’s leadership. “You talk of inexperience—the president of the VPP has been in the State Assembly, was the president of the HSPDP, was forefront leader of the UDP, so how do you talk about inexperience? They are supposed to have some experience in public life.”
His remarks came in response to the Executive Member in charge of Finance, who during a budget discussion admitted that the VPP-led Executive Committee was facing several challenges due to a lack of experience.
