SHILLONG:
The opposition All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) said the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was nothing more than a display of BJP’s money power.
In a statement released on December 19, the AITC said that massive hoardings for the saffron party asking voters to make missed calls blanketed Shillong city’s length and breadth. There was not a single hoarding focusing on governance.
“Seeing the defence institutions (at Rhino Point) covered in BJP flags was not only shocking, but also disgraceful. Under the leadership of our Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, Meghalaya, democracy was debilitated in broad daylight,” the statement added.
The AITC also observed that Modi spoke at length about the development of the Northeast but did not spare a single word on the Assam-Meghalaya border row.
“Every day, the people of Meghalaya are suffering because of the lop-sided border resolution brought in by the NPP-led MDA government, of which BJP is also a part,” it said.
On December 18, AITC general secretary, Fabian Lyngdoh wrote how the double-engine government surrendered the lands of Meghalaya to Assam. He said, “For 50 years the 18 Khasi villages of Raid Nongtung in Block II remained as disputed areas between Meghalaya and Assam because of the Assam Government’s Notification of 1951. The areas are under Assam administration but remain to be historically and culturally Khasi areas. Now at the end of its 5-year tenure, the MDA government led by the NPP surrendered all the 18 Khasi villages to Assam administratively, historically, and culturally.”
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister, Amit Shah visit to Shillong, the party said, “As per Press Information Bureau, the visit was to celebrate the golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council and to lay foundation stones for multiple projects worth over Rs. 2,450 crores. However, apart from the decorative speech, did the Prime Minister offer any concrete welfare plan for Meghalaya? The answer is NO.”
Stating that the JJM is nowhere near completing the target, the AITC said the sad reality is that many villages of Meghalaya are still without drinking water.
It said PMGSY has failed to give accessibility to the people of Meghalaya. It is due to the absence of roads that a pregnant woman had to be carried in a stretcher manually to avail medical facilities.
Attempt to saffronise state
Slamming the attempt to saffronise Meghalaya, the AITC said, “Is the Prime Minister of our country unaware that Hindi is not the medium of communication for the majority of Meghalaya? During the event, the Prime Minister as well as the Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma spoke at length in Hindi. When the majority of the state does not speak that language, it is nothing less than a blatant move to saffronise Meghalaya.”