SHILLONG, Jan 15: The Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) on Friday slammed Rajya Sabha member and National People’s Party (NPP) state president WR Kharlukhi for calling the Congress “Rip Van Winkle” of Meghalaya as it allegedly slept over issues.
Terming the statement as “willful ignorance”, the MPYC accused Kharlukhi of trying to spread misinformation to the people.
Kharlukhi called the Congress so after the Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma had accused the NPP-led government of sleeping over the issue of Inner Line Permit (ILP).
“If we look back at the time when Dr. Mukul Sangma took over as the Chief Minister in 2010, we all know that there was a lot of turmoil in terms of law and order due to increased activities of militant outfits, especially in the western part of the state. Over the next eight years, he managed to solve the problem of insurgency and brought back our misguided youth to the mainstream,” MPYC general secretary, Fernandez S Dkhar, said.
He claimed that it was during Sangma’s time that the people in the state had seen all-round development, be it the multiplication of C&RD blocks, civil sub-divisions, districts, police stations and the creation of SF10.
“In terms of roads, the Guwahati-Shillong four-lane, Shillong-Nongstoin-Tura Road, Shillong Bye-Pass, Jowai Bye-Pass were constructed during his tenure as the CM.
Also, the Rongjeng-Masang- Adokgre, Ranikor-Baghmara road projects were initiated under him and not to forget, the Shillong and Tura ISBT,” Dkhar said.
He said it was under the leadership of Sangma that an agreement was signed with the World Bank when the late Pranab Mukherjee was the Finance Minister for funding all-weather PMGSY roads in 2011. This is a first of its kind initiative taken in the Northeast. Similar projects are still running, he said.
Pointing out that many flagship programmes, such as IBDLP and MHIS, initiated under Sangma, are being followed by the present government, Dkhar said, “Multiple Social Assistance Programmes, including the Special Wedding Assistance Scheme for orphaned girls and providing aid to single mothers and orphaned girls were also initiated under Sangma”.
The MPYC general secretary said the Shillong Government College of Engineering and Medical College in Shillong and Tura were also initiated under Sangma.
“I hope Dr. Kharlukhi is satisfied with the developments done by our former CM Dr. Mukul Sangma and if not, I can provide more details on what the Congress has done to Meghalaya,” Dkhar added.