Shillong, Jan 4: The opposition Congress has accused the regional political parties of being “complicit” on Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Parliament in 2019.
“All regional parties are complicit, they cannot wash their hands, they are hand in glove to ensure CAB becomes an Act in Parliament,” Congress leader and Mylliem MDC Ronnie V Lyngdoh told reporters on Wednesday.
According to him, the regional parties should have come out from the MDA government if they had really opposed the CAB and put the interest of the people and the state infront.
Lyngdoh said in December 2019, all 60 MLAs passed an official resolution against the CAB. However, when the Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the CAB in parliament, NPP MP from Tura, Agatha Sangma, who is the sister of the national president of NPP and chief minister Conrad K Sangma, extended her full support to CAB.
“Despite this, the regional parties are keeping silent and did not question Conrad K Sangma whether the support given by his sister was with the knowledge of the NPP because they care so much about their chairs. Therefore, we want people to know that if we are being outnumbered tomorrow in our own homeland, the regional parties are to be blamed,” he said.
Lyngdoh said that had the two MPs from Meghalaya opposed the CAB, the state could have appealed against the Bill at an international platform.
Atrocities against minorities
Referring to atrocities against religious and tribal minorities, the Congress leader said that the NPP is part and parcel of the BJP-led NDA and the regional parties are part of the NEDA, which is also being led by BJP are complicit and are responsible for all the actions that are being perpetrated on the minorities.
“They cannot escape as for five years they have been working together, now you cannot say no because you are complicit maybe not directly but by being part of this MDA government you are all complicit and if atrocities have been perpetrated on minorities, they are also equally responsible, they cannot escape responsibility,” he said.
Lyngdoh expressed confidence that the people of the state will reject the BJP since the religious and tribal minorities have born the brunt of their polarisation.
“If the people of Meghalaya are so stupid to vote for BJP then you only have accepted all these attacks on the minorities and I believe the people of Meghalaya are going to reject this party because we want to live peacefully with all our Indian citizens who are in Meghalaya,” he said.
Citing the just concluded elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, Lyngdoh said the religious minorities and tribal minorities and voters in the rest of the country are now rejecting the BJP because of its policy of division, policy of polarisation on religious ground and on other grounds.
He said while in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won 40 out of 68 seats as people rejected the BJP, in Gujarat, had it not been for the B-team of the BJP, AAP, the Congress would have come to power. There is hope in the entire country, the political parties which used to work together with the BJP like Akalidal, JDU in Bihar, JMM in Jharkhand, TRS in Telangana, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and other states have also rejected the BJP.”
He however said unfortunately in Meghalaya, the same political parties which are claiming that they love the ‘Jaitbynriew’ are still with the MDA, which is being backed by the BJP.
Former minister JA Lyngdoh said the people will give a befitting reply in 2023 by rejecting the NPP-led MDA government.
“The people of the state do not want to see that this MDA government will come back in 2023…If they are fed up with the NPP, UDP, BJP and other coalition partners, the only alternative they have now is the Congress. Therefore, I am telling you just wait and see 2023 elections, the Congress will be the single largest party which will win more seats than all these other parties,” he said.
NPP candidates driving expensive cars
The Congress alleged that majority candidates of the ruling NPP are driving expensive cars.
Lyngdoh said candidates of other political parties, including sitting MLAs and ex-MLAs, after joining the NPP are driving cars costing up to Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
“After joining the NPP, no candidate is driving cheap cars of Rs 3 or Rs 4 lakh. That proves that money is being given to candidates by the NPP,” he said.
Ronnie was supporting the recent claim made by PDF leader and cabinet minister Banteidor Lyngdoh that he was offered Rs 5 crore to join the NPP.
He said that politics is about life and death and those who are taking money are betraying their children and grandchildren.
The Congress leader admitted that he was also being offered money to join other political parties and said, “However, we are people with principles and will not get swayed by money power as we are here to serve the people and give a better future for our youth”.
‘Reject Nongkrem NPP candidate’
Lyngdoh asked the people of Nongkrem constituency to reject the NPP candidate.
He lauded the people of Nongkrem for their courage to stand up against inducement and allurement. He was referring to the complaint lodged against cabinet minister Dasakhiatbha Lamare for allegedly distributing money to the people of the constituency.
“I laud the people of Nongkrem and I urge if you want good governance, reject such people as we need lawmakers not money distributors,” Lyngdoh said.
Church vandalism
The Congress said the recent act of vandalism on a church in Chhattisgarh may be to discredit the Congress government there.
“What we are afraid of is all these acts are to discredit the Congress government there. But I am sure that the Congress government there has nothing to do with it,” Lyngdoh said.
He informed that the state party had also shot a letter to the Chhattisgarh chief minister via email requesting his government to take strict action against all those responsible for the attack and vandalism.
