SHILLONG, MAY 12: The National People’s Party on Tuesday demanded that North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Debolal Garlosa retract his remarks branding the NPP as a “B-team” and issue an unconditional public apology within 48 hours, failing which it would initiate legal action.
NPP national working President James K Sangma strongly condemned Garlosa’s statements made during the NCHAC Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Haflong on May 11, calling them “false, malicious, and politically motivated.”
“Shri Debolal Garlosa’s attempt to brand the National People’s Party as anyone’s ‘B-team’ is not only completely false, but also a revealing reflection of a deeply insecure and petty political mindset,” Sangma said in a statement.
“When a political leader, from an official public platform, chooses to indulge in conspiracy theories, manufactured narratives, and cheap propaganda instead of engaging in mature democratic discourse, it says far more about his own anxieties than about the party he seeks to attack,” he added.
“Let us state this in the clearest possible terms: The National People’s Party is not, has never been, and will never be anyone’s ‘B-team’,” Sangma said.
He asserted that the NPP is a national party with its own ideology and mandate. “The suggestion that NPP requires validation, approval, or strategic instruction from another political party before contesting elections is not merely false—it is insulting to the intelligence of the electorate,” he said.
Sangma clarified that the decision to field Daniel Langthasa as the NPP candidate from Haflong (ST) in the 2026 Assam Assembly elections was taken independently. “There was no discussion, no consultation, no understanding, and no political arrangement whatsoever with the BJP or any other political formation regarding this decision,” he said.
He termed Garlosa’s reference to discussions allegedly involving NPP National President and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma as “an outright fabrication.”
“Making such baseless allegations without a shred of evidence is irresponsible, defamatory, and unbecoming of someone holding constitutional office,” James Sangma said.
“It appears that rather than addressing genuine public concerns relating to governance, development, and the aspirations of the people of Dima Hasao, Shri Garlosa has chosen the familiar route of distraction, misinformation, and character assassination,” he added.
“The politics of insecurity often manifests in exactly this way—when one cannot defeat an opponent politically, one attempts to delegitimise them through fiction.”
Issuing the ultimatum, Sangma said, “The National People’s Party therefore demands that Shri Debolal Garlosa immediately retract his false statements and issue an unconditional public apology through the same media channels within 48 hours.”
“Failing this, the party will be constrained to explore all appropriate legal remedies, including defamation proceedings, against him in his personal capacity,” he warned.
“The people of Dima Hasao are politically aware, mature, and discerning. They will see through such desperate attempts at misinformation,” Sangma said, adding that the NPP remains “steadfast in its independent political identity and unwavering in its commitment to democracy, tribal rights, constitutional protections, and the development aspirations of the hill people.”
