SHILLONG Dec 17: The United Democratic Party (UDP), a key ally in the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, has asserted that the allegations of illegalities could be investigated but it would be incorrect on the part of Congress to blame the entire MDA “family”.
Reacting to the appeal of the Opposition Congress urging regional allies of the MDA government to take a conscious decision and reconsider ties with the ruling party in the wake of allegations of rampant corruption, UDP general secretary, Jemino Mawthoh reiterated that the regional party has zero tolerance towards corruption.
“If there is any illegality which needs to be investigated, let it be investigated. But to blame that we as a coalition partner are also in collusion as far as corruption is concerned, is not right,” Mawthoh said.
Citing an example, he said that in a family, if a member misappropriated money or does something wrong, the entire family cannot be blamed.
“The entire MDA family and its alliance partners cannot be blamed if something wrong has been done by one or two persons,” he reiterated.
“Let the matter be investigated and if anything wrong is found, the law should take its own course,” he added.
Asking Congress to pinpoint the individuals doing wrong, along with evidence, Mawthoh recalled that the people of the state gave a fractured mandate in the 2018 polls. “Somehow the party had to work together and ensure that the state moved forward,” he said.
Asked if UDP would take a decision in regard to its future with the alliance, Mawthoh said, “We will take a call when the need arises.”
Maintaining that the allegations of illegalities need to be proved, he said the party would support the allegations if there was evidence to corroborate the charges.
The UDP leader pointed out that the party was not silent when the BJP raised issues of corruption.
“If we find something wrong, we will pursue it with right earnest,” he said, adding that the two ministers from UDP in the government have time and again asserted that they would not tolerate any illegality.