Tura, Nov 18: The Muslim community in Garo Hills feels the Trinamool Congress can give justice to the poor who are being left out of government schemes.
A group of elderly members of the community from Tikrikilla and Phulbari told Meghalaya Monitor about the plight of the hundreds in their villages.
Khader Ali (70), who came to Tura Law College ground to attend the public meeting of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday, said none of the senior citizens is getting old-age schemes. “I cannot work now and there is barely any source of income. But the NPP government is not helping us. We are also not getting other facilities under various government schemes,” he said.
The 70-year-old resident of Phulbari wants TMC to come to power as “we have seen what Didi (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) is doing for the Muslims in her state and there is no discrimination”.
Noor Ali of Selsella, who was also among the supporters of TMC, said when Mukul Sangma, the present leader of the opposition, was the chief minister, “things were not bad for us”.
“He gave us toilets, subsidies, and roads. We would not feel left out. But under the current government, we are suffering too much,” he added.
Awoal Hoque (65) complained about joblessness and how his son, who has completed matriculation, is struggling to get even a daily wage earner’s work. “We have all the papers and EPIC. Then why should we suffer like this,” he looked helplessly through his high-powered spectacles.
The youth from the community feel equally helpless as they struggle to get jobs. Aliful Islam (28), who is a teacher at a private school in tikrikilla, said he has already cleared TET, but no government job has come his way.
“I was forced to take this private job. It is a struggle even for the educated youth to get a decent job as per qualifications,” he added.
All of them unanimously agreed to the call for change that TMC is promising to bring about in the state.
