Shillong: A day after a crude IED was defused by the police outside the office of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) in the city, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday questioned the timing of planting the IED bomb and threatening statement by the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) militant outfit.
“I wonder why but the timing (planting of the IED bomb and threat on NPP workers) a day.
Before Lamphrang Blah is supposed to join (NPP), somebody (HNLC) comes out with a statement like this. Are they scared? That NPP is growing from strength to strength,” Sangma, who is also national president of the National NPP, said.
“There is nothing to fear and nothing would deter us,” he asserted and assured his party workers that he and his party is with them.
He, however, voiced surprise at the timing of the statement, as the state goes for three bye-polls a few weeks from now.
Sangma said that such statements would only encourage the NPP workers to work harder to ensure victory for the party during the bye-election scheduled on October 30.
The chief minister said the HNLC statement is being examined as this has come at a time
when seniorCongress leader Lamphrang Blah quit the party and joined the NPP.
Blah, a senior Congress leader, was the leader of opposition in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council.
“We can’t eliminate the political angle,” Sangma said when reporters asked if the HNLC’s statement was “politically motivated”.
The Chief Minister also informed that he has held a high level review meeting with senior police officials after an IED was found planted outside the NPP office.
Sangma said, during the review meeting senior police officials briefed him about the security arrangement in the state capital.
“The police would deal with the matter and action would be taken, ” Sangma said adding security arrangements have been heightened
On Monday, the prescribed outfit claimed that it had planted an IED bomb in front of the gate of NPP office at Lachumiere locality, on a day when the Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu was on a visit to the State capital.
The bomb was later defused by the bomb squad after sanitizing the whole area.
