Shillong, May 12: The banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has launched a sharp attack on Voice of the People Party (VPP) president Ardent Basaiawmoit, accusing him of “rank hypocrisy” over Khasi traditions and matrilineal values.
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| VPP President Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit during Meghalaya Assembly session seeking audit of tribal and community lands. (Image: Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Channel) |
In a statement issued by HNLC general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw, the outfit alleged that Basaiawmoit publicly champions Khasi customs and matriliny while allegedly practising patriarchy in his personal life.
The HNLC claimed that leaders invoking indigenous traditions and religious references for political gain were weakening Khasi identity and traditional institutions from within.
“Today in Meghalaya, some politicians proudly quote King David and King Solomon, foreign kings from a distant land thousands of years ago, but they cannot respect our own syiems and traditional institutions,” the statement said.
The outfit stressed that respecting Khasi traditional institutions and indigenous governance structures did not conflict with Christianity, but instead reflected a people’s connection to their roots and identity.
The HNLC specifically referred to Basaiawmoit’s criticism of the group over its stand on the sanad issue involving Syiem Sohra. According to the statement, the VPP chief had publicly asserted his knowledge of Khasi customs and identity while questioning the outfit’s intervention.
However, the HNLC alleged that Basaiawmoit’s own family practices contradicted the matrilineal principles he publicly defended.
“Your own children carry your patrilineal title. That is not a rumour. That is a fact,” Nongtraw stated in the release.
The outfit further alleged that the VPP’s commitment to preserving Khasi culture and indigenous traditions was inconsistent if its leadership did not practise the same values privately.
“If the President of VPP privately practises patriarchy while publicly preaching matriliny, then VPP is not a cultural party. It is a cultural performance,” the statement added.
On the issue of the sanad for Syiem Sohra, the HNLC alleged that political interests had delayed the recognition process despite support from sections of the Hima Sohra community for Syiem Maremdor as the rightful successor.
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The outfit also criticised what it described as a continuing “colonial mindset” that, according to it, had gradually weakened indigenous identity, language, traditions, and the matrilineal system among the Khasi people.
Calling Basaiawmoit a “political demagogue,” the HNLC stated that leadership should be based on consistency, principle, and moral courage rather than rhetoric.
The statement concluded with the outfit demanding a direct public clarification from the VPP on whether the party genuinely supported matriliny in practice or only used it as an electoral issue.
There was no immediate response from the VPP or Ardent Basaiawmoit regarding the allegations made by the HNLC.
