SHILLONG, Oct 25: Former Congress party worker and independent candidate from Mawryngkneng, Norbert Marboh has slammed Congress working president, Ampareen Lyngdoh for overlooking loyal party workers and visiting the home of Highlander Kharmalki to assure him of the Congress ticket for the by-election without consulting the Block Congress.
Addressing an election meeting at Umpling on Monday, Marboh said he had been a staunch Congressman for over 20 years and what happened recently when a rank outsider to the party —Highlander Kharmalki who had contested the last election from the PDF — was given the party ticket was galling for all the party workers.
“The Mawryngkneng Block Congress was disappointed with the ticket going to a non-party man and urged me to stand an as Independent candidate,” he said.
Lambasting the NPP-led MDA Government, Marboh said this is a ‘Corona Government’ that has spent as much as Rs 700 crore in tackling the pandemic. “As someone who has been associated with Super Care Hospital since its inception, I can say that with that kind of money Meghalaya could have had at least ten hospitals which would have catered to the public needs at nominal charges.”
He also said that the word minister in Latin meant service but the present set of ministers only want to be served and to do business by making malls etc.
Marboh also rued the fact that teachers had to go on strike to get their just dues. Pointing at the poor educational indicators in Meghalaya, the Independent candidate said that when teachers are treated so unfairly then it is obvious that education will suffer and that students will perform poorly.
Others who spoke included the Rangbah Dong of Mawryngkneng, Golden Mukhim, the former Sordar of Tynring and Ronald Kharumnuid, a youth leader of Umpling.