SHILLONG, July 25: Coming out with a fresh attack this time on the central government, Congress legislator from Nongpoh, Mayralborn Syiem, has challenged Union Home Amit Shah to name the major development and changes brought by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Meghalaya.
His reaction comes against Shah’s statement made during the inauguration of the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), which the Nongpoh legislator has termed as “bluff”.
Recalling that Union Home Minister had claimed that whatever the BJP-led government at the Centre has done in last six years is more than what the Congress government did in the past 70 years for the state, Syiem said, “It is totally wrong and unacceptable. I would like to ask him to tell me about any new major development and changes in the last few years brought by the BJP here”.
He said that the Congress has done a lot in the past couple of years and cited three instances — setting up of the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and NEIGRIHMS, besides improvement of road connectivity through four-lane and two-lane highways.
“In regards to connectivity, four-lane project Jorbat to Umiam, which connects Guwahati to Shillong, the national highway connecting Shillong, Nongstoin and Tura, and the two-lane road connecting Paikan to Tura, are the tip of the iceberg of developmental work done by Congress,” the Nongpoh MLA claimed.
“He is bluffing and trying to fool the people of the state. We know what the BJP has done. It is all jumla; only big words and copying the system and policy of Congress government by changing just the name of the projects,” he added.
Reacting to the lukewarm response of the Union minister to the pressure groups’ contention of ILP, the Nongpoh MLA said: “This time, it was expected that if not a decision, a thorough discussions would be held. But it went just the opposite; he did not respond to anything. As per the pressure groups, he did not even utter a single word. The government officials and ministers say that he will look into it. There is no seriousness. It is sad that such response is coming from him”.
He stated that the Union Home Minister should have understood the seriousness of the matter as a resolution has been passed. “…we are not surprised. He has been delaying and evading,” he added.