SHILLONG: The outlawed Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has launched a fresh attack on Voice of the People Party (VPP) president and Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit, questioning what it described as a contradiction between the party’s public fundraising appeals and the personal wealth declared by several of its leaders.
In a statement issued on Monday, HNLC general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw alleged that the VPP leadership projects an image of financial struggle before the public while affidavits submitted during elections reveal substantial personal assets.
Referring to Basaiawmoit’s election affidavit from the 2023 Assembly polls, Nongtraw claimed the VPP leader had declared assets amounting to nearly Rs 1.5 crore.
“During campaigns, Ardent Basaiawmoit is often seen carrying a borti while appealing to ordinary villagers and daily wage earners for contributions. The message conveyed is that the party survives solely through public sacrifice,” Nongtraw said.
“But the same leader owns a multi-storey residence reportedly valued at around Rs 1 crore, land holdings in Shillong, vehicles and gold ornaments. The contrast is impossible to ignore,” he added.
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The HNLC leader further argued that such declarations raise broader questions about the VPP’s political messaging, particularly its repeated emphasis on poverty and grassroots mobilisation.
“The people deserve transparency, not carefully crafted political symbolism designed to emotionally influence struggling citizens,” Nongtraw remarked.
Apart from Basaiawmoit, the HNLC also referred to the affidavits of other VPP legislators, including Mawryngkneng MLA Heaving Stone Kharpran, Mawlai MLA Brightstarwell Marbaniang and North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum.
The statement comes amid escalating tensions between the HNLC and the VPP-led Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), particularly over recent controversies involving the Syiem Sohra succession issue and the suspension of the Syiem of Mylliem.