SHILLONG: Union Minister of State for Skill Development Rajiv Pratap Rudy has asserted that no power can stop the BJP from forming a government in Meghalaya.
Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Rudy pointed out that the BJP is in power in 19 states in India and will add three N-E states to its kitty shortly, including Meghalaya.
Stating that Meghalaya was a major focus in the Centre’s Look East policy, he alleged that the previous state governments have miserably failed to perform.
“I will not hesitate to say that Meghalaya will get the best infrastructure in the world once a BJP government is formed,” Rudy, who was in the state capital since Sunday to assist the party in preparing for the upcoming polls, told reporters.
With regard to the Congress’s oft-repeated allegation that the BJP is a communal party, Rudy said he was shocked that a political party which has moved away from the development agenda is talking about the communal tilt of the BJP.
“They (Congress) don’t have a vote bank. They created a vote bank by splitting the society and they want to play that trick in Meghalaya too. I think the people of the state won’t believe in such propaganda this time,” he maintained.
Asked about the BJP’s stand on the pending railway project, Rudy assured that once the BJP comes to power, it would take everyone on board to arrive at a consensus on the issue.
Earlier, BJP’s Meghalaya-in-charge Nalin Kohli said the party is “sensitive towards the identities of the people in different parts of the North-East including Meghalaya”.
Refusing to comment on BJP’s stand on the growing demand for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya and Manipur, he said the party respects, and has always been concerned about, the identities of the various tribes in different parts of N-E.
“Whatever needs to be done to protect the identities of these tribes and other communities that live in the region, the BJP is committed to doing. It is the Union government’s agenda and we are working with a positive agenda,” he said.
Kohli said the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) is not a political platform, but a developmental platform to usher in economic growth in the region.
“Those who are looking at NEDA as a political platform to fight elections are mistaken. NEDA’s aim is to bring people together to discuss the common vision of developing the region. Political parties are entitled to have their own political agendas outside NEDA, not within NEDA,” Kohli added.
