Shillong, Jan 23: Congress leader Vincent Pala has accused the NPP-led MDA government of being spineless and being controlled by BJP in New Delhi and Assam.
Pala expressed protest against the state government’s decision not to grant permission for Rahul Gandhi interaction with students at the USTM in Ri Bhoi District.
Pala said the government has given permission to the Jai Sri Ram team marching from Guwahati to Meghalaya but refused to give permission to the party’s programme.
“This government want to give a space for all those people. They walk from Assam to Meghalaya we don’t mind, we have no problem, but to them you grant permission but why not to us. This is very serious. The people of Meghalaya should think and they should know also that this government is spineless as it is being controlled by the BJP in New Delhi and this government is spineless as it is being controlled by leaders from Assam,” he said.
“This is what we could sense from the Director of the USTM that lots of threat has been given to him. That is one of the biggest challenges in the NE as threatening has become towards our institutions, towards our people and towards our business community.”
Pala said despite this, the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi went on to interact with the students as well as the NE Congress Coordination Committee.
He alleged that the government’s refusal to grant permission was because BJP is hell bent against the Yatra by Rahul Gandhi.
“The BJP does not want Rahul Gandhi to connect with the people. The purpose of the yatra was to connect with the people, listen to the people and take the views of the people and in that way we can know what is the mindset of the people and when we are in the government we will be able to deliver and when we want to prepare manifesto we will be able to make promises,” he said.
Later, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said he was not aware that permission has been denied for holding a programme by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Ri Bhoi District.
“I am not aware about this as permission doesn’t come from the government. Permissions are given at the district level by the DC”, he said.
The chief minister said from the documentation that he has received, he was made to understand that the Congress had never sought for permission to hold a programme nor have they submitted an NOC from either the headman or the USTM, which are basic requirements as per the conditions that are there at the district level for any program.
“If any political party wants to have any kind of programmes like these they have to apply for the necessary permission with the necessary NOCs and that was not done,” he said.
