TURA: An Independent legislator who is holding the post of a Parliamentary Secretary in the Mukul Sangma-led, government has lashed out at the Chief Minister over of neglect to South Garo Hills district, the birth place of Meghalaya’s first chief minister Captain Williamson A Sangma.
The MLA from Siju-Rongara constituency in the district, Rophul S Marak, took the opportunity to lambast the very government he is backing as a parliamentary secretary during an election campaign at Maidugittim village of Nangalbibra on Thursday.
Flanked by another parliamentary secretary and Tikrikilla MLA, Michael T Sangma and GHADC MDC from Siju Kenedik, S Marak, Rophul went all guns blazing accusing the current government of giving ‘step-motherly’ treatment to the district where Late Captain Sangma hails from.
“I joined the ruling Congress coalition with the hope that development would be facilitated for the people of my region. I even apprised Chief Minister Mukul Sangma about the poor state of affairs during several meetings. But five years down the line the government has not done anything for South Garo Hills,” alleged Rophul Marak while addressing his supporters.
He said that the lack of initiative from the government to address the problems of their respective regions compelled both Tikrikilla legislator Michael T Sangma and himself to seek –re-election outside the Congress party.
“Both of us faced many obstacles from the government and though there were calls for us to join the Congress, we decided against. We will contest as Independents,” announced the Siju-Rongara legislator in the public rally.
He also blamed the Congress government in the state for the NGT ban on coal mining saying that the state government did little to mitigate the situation.
“The BJP government did not ban coal mining. It was done at the behest of the Congress government in the state and no effort was made to reopen the mines. We have suffered for five long years but the next government will be a Non-Congress one because a Congress party headed by Mukul Sangma is not returning to power,” claimed the Siju-Rongara legislator.
Tikrikilla MLA Michael T Sangma and local MDC Kenedik Marak also addressed the public seeking support for Rophul Marak in the coming assembly elections.
Controversy hits CM’s housing scheme
Siju-Rongara legislator Rophul S Marak has alleged that the Chief Minister’s Affordable Housing Scheme meant to provide houses for the poor has being hijacked by the Congress.
Expressing anger and disappointment over the implementation of the scheme, the South Garo Hills legislator claimed that although MLAs were asked to submit list of names of beneficiaries to their respective development blocks yet the list was changed without any information to the elected legislators.
“We submitted the list of names of the people who could avail of the housing assistance but later found out that the list had been changed. Even the list given by me was de-notified and no information was provided to us,” said the MLA.
Under the scheme as many as 500 houses are to be selected from each block in the state.