Corruption of NPP-led govt in Meghalaya encouraged by BJP, says Congress

Accepting Union Home Minister Amit Shahs accusation that the Meghalaya government is one of the most corrupt in the country the Congress alleged that the BJP has encouraged such a state of affairs in the northeastern stateThe ruling National Peoples Party has been riddled with corruption charges by its former allies including the BJP as also by opponents such as the Congress and the Trinamool CongressMeghalayas state Congress President Vincent Pala told PTI in an interview that he agreed that Union Minister Amit Shah was correct in saying that the Meghalaya government is one of the most corrupt in the country Pala went on to claim that this has been encouraged by the BJP The BJP was in the NPPled coalition from its beginning in 2018 he pointed outAddressing a poll rally in North Tura constituency Shah had on February 16 said the BJP broke its alliance with the NPP before the elections in Meghalaya so that it can contest all 60 assembly seats and emerge stronger Pala also claimed that the setback of desertions by its entire lot of MLAs who won in 2018 is a thing of the past and said the party is pinning hope for a turnaround in the upcoming assembly elections in the northeastern state on fresh candidates sans any past baggageLeader of opposition and former chief minister Mukul Sangma exAssembly speaker Charles Pyngrope and 10 other Congress legislators had shifted their allegiance to the Mamata Banerjeeled TMC in 2021The Congress which once was the prime power in the hill state has put up candidates in all 60 seats for the February 27 assembly pollsSlowly we are gaining ground as the new candidates bring fresh minds ideas hopes for the youth and the antiincumbency is quite high this time as compared to the previous elections Pala said adding that the people are coming back to the Congress with these points in mind We have crossed the odds now and are in a position to fight The party is campaigning very hard We are quite confident of doing well he saidOf the 60 candidates fielded by the Congress 44 are new faces Pala saidHe also mentioned that people are viewing Congress as their best bet in the February 27 polls as it mostly has fresh faces devoid of any controversy Majority of the nominees are qualified people We have also put up as many women candidates possible he said expressing hope that female voters choice will tilt towards the grand old partyThe Congress has nominated Manuel Badwar an IIM Kolkata graduate from East Shillong and Adrian Lambert Chyne Millie who studied psychology in Singapore from Jirang constituency The party has fielded 10 women candidatesAlso read No restriction in Meghalaya I eat beef too State BJP ChiefAsked about the low number of women candidates despite Meghalaya being a matrilineal society Pala said that it is not that women aspirants were not deliberately put upI think most women are not willing to join politics because of family engagement and poverty he said Unless there is a reservation of seats for women in Parliament and the state legislatures the situation is likely to continue the Congress MP saidPala accused the NPPled coalition government of being involved in corruption and claimed that Meghalaya has been subjected to loot of its resources Its a daylight robbery in Meghalaya and its not just one scam but several he saidThe Conrad Sangma government has been accused by opposition parties of a Rs 140crore land acquisition scam which the ruling party has vehemently denied It has been alleged that middlemen made a quick buck at the cost of original landowners whose assets were acquired by the governmentThe government is losing out revenue owing to illegal coal and limestone and transportation of betel nuts outside the state through unlawful means Pala saidQuestioning why the BJP is accusing the NPP of all ills in the government he said the saffron party has been in the ruling coalition right from the beginningMaintaining that it is a game that the BJP and the NPP are playing to hoodwink electorates the Congress MP from Shillong said They will all come together after the electionsAsked whether he will join the BJP Pala said that if he had to switch over to the saffron party he would have done that in the beginning Whether I win or lose I will always remain in the Congress said Pala who is contesting from Sutnga Saipung constituency in East Jaintia Hills districtAdmitting that the party has little strength in West Garo hills after Mukul Sangma left with 11 other legislators to join the TMC he said the Congress is still likely to do well in East South and North Garo hillsPala said that Rahul Gandhi campaigning in Shillong will definitely have an impact on the voters mainly in the urban and semiurban areas of the state Rahul Gandhi and the entire Gandhi family from Nehru Indira to Rajiv Gandhi have been very close to the hearts of the people of Meghalaya he said The Congress leader also blamed the NDA government at the Centre for border issues between Meghalaya and Assam and alleged that it sees that the BJPruled states dominate the othersThey try to bulldoze the smaller states he saidTo solve the interstate boundary dispute there is a need for patience along with dedicated and unbiased persons who would give due importance to the emotions of the people involved Pala said We must have a proper body like a boundary commission who know the culture habits of the people and history and geography of the area he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever