TURA: An Independent legislator who is holding the post of Parliamentary Secretary in the Mukul Sangma government has lashed out at the chief minister over accusations 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, Rophul S Marak, lambasted the government during an election campaign at Maidugittim village in 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.
“I joined the ruling Congress coalition hoping that development would come to 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,” said Rophul.
He said lack of initiatives from the government to address the problems of their respective regions compelled both Tikrikilla legislator Michael T Sangma and himself to seek reelection outside of the Congress party.
“Both of us faced obstacles from the government and though there were calls for us to join the Congress, we decided against it. We will contest as independents,” said the Siju-Rongara legislator.
He also blamed the Congress government for the NGT ban on coal mining saying the 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.
Michael and Kenedik also addressed the public seeking support for Rophul.
Housing scheme
controversy
Rophul has alleged that the Chief Minister’s Affordable Housing Scheme meant to provide houses to 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 though MLAs were asked to submit list of names of beneficiaries to their respective development blocks the list was changed without informing the elected representatives.
“We submitted the list of names of the people who could avail themselves of the housing assistance but later found out that the list had been changed. Even the list given by me was denotified 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.
