Shillong, Feb 7: Former minister Manas Chaudhuri, who is contesting the upcoming Assembly elections on Congress ticket from South Shillong said that Christians and religious minorities in South Shillong constituency will not accept the BJP.

“There are 32,000 voters in South Shillong and of these, 11,000 voters are Christians and Mohammedan, who are not going to go the BJP way,” Chaudhuri told reporters after filing his nominations on the last day of filing of nominations here on Wednesday.

He was reacting to the claims made by former legislator and BJP candidate, Sanbor Shullai that he would defeat Chaudhuri by over 15,000 votes and also end his political career in the upcoming elections.

Shullai is seeking re-election from South Shillong constituency.

Stating that Shullai is living in a fool’s paradise, Chaudhuri said, “One out of three voters in South Shillong is against the BJP. So how can he (Shullai) win by 15,000? He is living in a fool’s paradise. Let him be, but his days are numbered.”

“He may have his own pipe-dream. He doesn’t know that there is a double trouble for him. He first has huge burden of anti-incumbency and now he has joined BJP which is not acceptable to the people of South Shillong,” Chaudhuri added.

Chaudhuri, who left the BJP after he was denied ticket said that the BJP’s idea will not sell, since the people of the constituency, who are intelligent and well informed cannot be easily fooled.

Expressing confidence of winning, Chaudhuri said, “it was a providence and act of God that he was betrayed by the BJP, which did not give him the ticket.

“I would have been a defeated man and people would have not accepted me because I had joined the BJP, which is not accepted by majority of the people in Meghalaya,” he said adding “Today, I am in Congress and I am comfortable and sure that the people will not accept the BJP in South Shillong.”

According to him, if elected, water supply is going to be his priority number one besides ensuring that minimum daily wages for labourers is increased.

He also lamented that the Rs 2 crore MLA scheme was only used to buy articles which have no value to the people, who need income and support from the MLA and the government to increase their living standard.

“Daily wage earners are struggling to lead a decent life. Therefore, my priority is to help the poor and downtrodden and I am not making an empty election promise. I have a programme and I want to increase minimum daily wage,” he said.

According to him, labourers today get Rs 260 per day as a minimum wage in Meghalaya which is so little compared to an MLA’s salary.

He recalled that when Meghalaya was created, an MLA used to get only Rs 5,000 as salary but today Meghalaya’s MLA is getting Rs 2 lakh.

“If MLA’s salary can go up why the poor people’s daily wage cannot go up? I will see that poor people do not suffer if the Congress comes to power,” he added.