Clarify charges against govt: Mukul to BJP

SHILLONG, Aug 18: Opposition leader Mukul Sangma on Thursday said the state BJP and its leaders must come clean with evidence on their allegations of misuse of government machinery in the Bernard Marak case.
“If we go by the statements of the BJP leadership, the people have reasons to believe that the government is misusing the law-enforcing agencies. This is a very dangerous input and a matter of great concern,” he said.
Asking the BJP to back its allegation with concrete evidence, Sangma said: “The bigger concern is if the law-enforcing agencies can be misused against a BJP leader, what will happen to the common man?”
Slamming both the BJP and its ally NPP for playing to the gallery, he said the two parties should analyse what exactly has happened for the sake of clarity.
“We will have to let the law take its own course and it will be unfair to jump to a conclusion now. Time will tell if it (arrest of Marak) was a case of vendetta or not,” Sangma said.
He insisted that the law of the land must prevail to deter the perpetrators of any kind of crime.
On the peace parleys with the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, Sangma said there are many ways of engaging with militant outfits but the intent must be to ensure sustainable peace. “How the discussion is taken forward will be keenly watched,” he added.