BJP leader Alexander Laloo Hek urged Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar to be more careful with his public remarks on Thursday, saying that the language used by elected officials shapes how children and the younger generation think.
Hek’s remarks followed Dhar’s comments the day before, in which the NPP national vice‑president dismissed Hek’s claim that several sitting MLAs were ready to switch to the BJP. Dhar compared the allegation to a baseless personal assertion, asking, “If I claim that your wife is my wife, how would you feel?” He described Hek’s statement as a political bluff intended to sow confusion and insisted the NPP’s 33 MLAs remained united.
Hek said he had watched Dhar’s press briefing twice and noted that Dhar had not named him directly. “He has not directly indicated anything against me. He only said ‘kam lok jong me’ while speaking to the press,” Hek said. He added that if the remark had been personal he would have known how to respond, but it was not, so he had nothing to say on that score.
The BJP leader stressed that public figures have a responsibility to act as role models, especially for Gen Z, and that careless language in a live interview can send the wrong message to children. His comments were not about individual careers but about the broader duty of elected officials. The exchange comes after Hek’s assertion that several MLAs from Garo Hills and Jaintia Hills were interested in joining the BJP, a claim complicated by the Anti‑Defection Law. Dhar maintained that the NPP remains united and that recent shifts—Congress leaders and PDF members joining the NPP, and UDP legislators moving to the BJP—have not altered the ruling MDA‑II coalition’s numbers.
