SHILLONG, Aug 28: The Opposition Trinamool Congress has ridiculed Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s recent assertion on the word “scam” and has stated that scams under the present dispensation have become a regular feature.
Recently, the chief minister had stated that the inquiry report which had exposed irregularities and mismanagement in the procurement of vehicles and use of fuel by the Police Headquarters (PHQ) did not point to any scam. Sangma had also stated that the word scam was being used change narratives.
“The reaction of the Chief Minister is surprising and portrays that he is trying to brush away all the allegations under the carpet. It appears that the leadership of this particular government has taken a fancy to scams,” said opposition chief whip George B Lyngdoh.
The TMC legislator from Umroi said that the fact that the scam has happened in the nodal office of the Police department is not only startling but has shown that the nodal office is a hub of corruption and the Police administration is in shambles.
“We are seeing a new scam every week because the government thinks that scams are fanciful. It is for the people to understand that the Police and the Home departments should be upright and should stand by the law. If they have become corrupt then the safety and security of the people in the state will be compromised,” he added.
Lyngdoh pointed out that administrative departments are expected to follow the rule by the book in order to ensure that public money is spent in the right order and not misused by any individual or authority. “The preliminary inquiry report indicates that the police administration is disorganised and the nodal officers are indulging in corrupt practices.”
“This is highly condemnable and at the same time it dents the confidence people have on the Police and the Home departments,” he added.
Lyngdoh was particularly critical of the coalition partners of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, saying that people are fed up of the parties who are trying to display artificial love for the people but at the same time maintain a stony silence on the multitude of scams being unearthed in the state.
He pointed out that despite scams after scams surfacing none of the regional parties or the coalition partners have opened their mouths or attempted to take a stand against corruption.
“They are all hand in glove and are equally responsible,” he said.a
