NONGPOH: A senior Mahila Congress Committee leader said on Friday the BJP’s rule at the Centre was “dictatorial”.
Netta D’ Souza, general secretary of the All India Mahila Congress and AICC Coordinator in-charge for Meghalaya, told party workers in a meeting at the residence of the MPCC president in Umsning, “We have to be united to fight against those forces who try to enter into Meghalaya and divide the community in the name of religion. If they can tell us what to eat, what to drink, how to wear, what clothes to wear and ask women not to move out and stay in their houses in other parts of the country, believe me when those forces come to power here, they will do the same.”
She also said among all the national political parties, the Congress is the one that is concerned about minorities and it is being targeted before the elections because people in Meghalaya still have faith in it.
Talking about the party’s long association with the North East, D’Souza said the Gandhis have “a soft spot” for the region, particularly Meghalaya.
“It is a matter of pride to Meghalaya that even Rahul Gandhi following his recent appointment as the national president of the party had first appointed Celestine Lyngdoh as the president of MPCC in Meghalaya,” she said.
“On the other hand, other parties like BJP, NPP and even regional parties are trying to fool people by creating a communal force. However, it is the people who will decide the future,” she added.
Working president and MP Vincent H. Pala also appreciated the people of Umsning in lending support to Lyngdoh.
On clarifying the allegations that the Village Administration Bill was still pending, Pala said it has already been passed by the Congress government and is now up to the governor to approve it.
He further said coal as a mineral resource is on the Union list and not on state list and it is on the Centre to decide on the mining ban.
MPPC President and Cabinet Minister, Celestine Lyngdoh has strongly criticized over the allegations made by Congress deserters over the dictatorial rule of the Congress and stated that they are in fact opportunists who left the party for their own selfish interest.
He further said people should avoid getting bribed as this election will decide the future of the state. D’Souza said, “We want back Congress in Meghalaya to rule the state.”
Thousands of Congress party workers in Ri Bhoi District on Friday also attended the felicitation programme of Celestine Lyngdoh in being appointed as the new Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President by the Ri Bhoi District Congress Committee (RBDCC) at Umsning.
