Congress attempts to destabilize MDA govt: NPP

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 28, 2020

The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) has accused the opposition Congress for attempting to destabilize the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government.

“Yes, they are trying to destabilize the government (by making allegations after allegations) despite the fact that the issues they are raising have already been addressed,” NPP spokesman Marcuise N Marak told reporters at a news conference on Saturday.

This came a day after the Leader of Opposition (LO) Mukul Sangma has alleged the MDA government of tampering with the investigation into the 2017-IRS call centre racket and corruption in the power department particularly in the Saubhagya scheme implementation.

Referring the situation to a fable about ‘The Fox and Grapes’, Marak said, “For the LO, Mukul Sangma, it looks like the grapes have turned sour after his corrupt government failed to implement any people-friendly schemes during his tenure.”

Stating that it is amusing to note Mukul Sangma’s understanding of politics, the NPP leader said as chief minister, he (Mukul) failed to remove his own home minister HDR Lyngdoh, despite knowing the fact that one of his properties, Marvelene’s Inn, was involved in a prostitution racket involving minor girls.

“When there was a huge outcry from civil society organizations due to the sexual molestation of a minor girl in HDR Lyngdoh’s property, Mukul Sangma went on record that as far as the removal of HDR Lyngdoh is concerned, “the law doesn’t demand so”. These are the exact words of someone who claims to be a person who believes in law and order,” he said.

Marak also said to make matters worse, Mukul Sangma had also transferred the investigating officer of the Marvelene’s Inn case to compromise and derail the investigation.

“The LO instead of understanding morality and the grievous nature of crime that was committed by his own minister, still continues to play his own political game to try and gain petty political mileage,” he said.

Also stating that the LO is a seasoned architect in erecting façade, Marak said Mukul Sangma during his chief ministership had announced an initiative known as the 24X7 power for all.

“While it sounds fancy as a name, the children of our state were still forced to read under the light of candles. Households were still suffering in darkness. And all that Mukul Sangma did was use his mastery of words to smoothly blindfold the people into believing that work was being done. Creating hope in the hearts of people and then quashing it prematurely is one of the worst things a politician can do and he precisely did that,” he said.

Praising the MDA government, which just in two years, has electrified five times the number of villages that Mukul’s government ever did, Marak said, “Perhaps he must learn what it means to fulfill the hopes of the people.”

“Mukul, after all his years of mis-governance, after weaking all our government institutions, after emptying the government’s treasury made of the sweat and hard work of people, looks like he is finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that work is actually being done successfully by the MDA government for the people. Indeed, the grapes have turned sour for him,” he added.