SHILLONG, Oct 9: The state Congress on Sunday accused the United Democratic Party (UDP) of making money from the illegal sale of drugs, coal, liquor and land in Meghalaya.
Loads of illegal cash make the UDP claim it will do well electorally in a state controlled by the ‘political mafia’, state Congress chief and Shillong MP Vincent H Pala said.
“Everything in the state is controlled by the political mafia. There is so much money from the illegal sale of drugs, liquor, and land. All of this money is with the UDP and that is why they claim they will do well,” Pala said while reacting to the UDP’s claim of doing well in the 2023 Assembly polls.
He said cash has been the king during elections in Meghalaya but the drug racket, now out in the open, began to flourish in the last four and a half years.
“The mafias are controlling everything in Meghalaya including the highways, and while the UDP has good politicians like Jemino Mawthoh, he does not know what his party is doing on the ground,” Pala said.
Referring to the recent agitation of the contractual teachers, he said the teachers did not know where to go. Instead of fighting on the streets, they could have taken up their problems at a high level for a solution, he said.
“Even illegal things become legal at the high level (in Meghalaya),” Pala said.
He explained ‘high level’ by alluding to the positive response some agitating teachers had received from the chief minister and the deputy CM while nothing came out of their meeting with Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui.
The state Congress Chief said parties like the UDP and the BJP have no say in Meghalaya as the NPP calls the shots.
“Rymbui offered to resign after the killing of former HNLC leader Cheristerfield Thangkhiew but did not because the NPP said no,” he said.
“Rymbui listens to the NPP, not the UDP,” he added.
Pala further said the UDP chooses to run away from problems as was the case with the Thangkhiew incident and the teachers’ agitation.
“How can people trust such a party? The UDP leaders do not know what they say, mean and do. Jemino says something, Rymbui says another thing and Titos (Chyne) says something else. They have no coordination,” he said.
