SHILLONG/TURA, Jan 9: Continuing his relentless rant against the MDA government led by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, State BJP vice president Bernard Marak on Monday claimed that Conrad had won the 2018 Assembly elections due to the BJP’s support.
Marak said Sangma was not winning that election until he (Marak) came into the picture.
The two will be up against each other in South Tura seat in the upcoming Assembly elections. Marak exuded confidence that he can defeat the CM “without any doubts”.
The BJP leader said it will not be a tough but interesting contest as the voters of the constituency, including him, had a lot of expectations from the CM in terms of bringing changes on the ground but were left dejected.
“I too had voted for the CM but we all are disappointed as all the schemes went only to those associated with (Sangma’s) NPP and the family. Nobody outside the NPP has benefited or received any support,” Marak alleged.
He slammed the CM over the promotion of FOCUS scheme, saying although it is funded by the central government, all hoardings are showing the CM and the NPP ministers. They made the schemes NPP programmes which is wrong, he said.
Sangma had on Friday said some local leaders instigated Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla to criticise the state government over the inauguration of the PA Sangma stadium.
Marak said he had shared all the inputs with Barla. He said there is no denying the fact that a half-constructed stadium was inaugurated.
The BJP leader slammed the government also for renaming the Hunar Skill Development Project in Garo Hills as PA Sangma Skill Development Project without the knowledge of the Centre. “Why the Centre will not be disappointed when (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi’s name is not coming on the foundation stones of these projects which have been funded by the central government,” he said.
The BJP Spokesperson also accused the NPP of treating the saffron party as Opposition and taking credit for all the development funded by the Centre.
“BJP Government under the leadership of Narendra Modi released an amount of Rs 151.9 crore for Hunar Skill development centre which includes Nursing college with 300 bedded hospital, Pharmaceutical college, Para medical college, Skill development centre with hostels for boys and girls with approximately 1,000 capacity and a working women’s hostel. Modi government was not given credit for any project in the State. Even the flagship programmes like FOCUS, FOCUS+, NLM, YESS etc have become NPP schemes,” he said. Accusing the state government of hijacking the Hunar Skill Development projects from Tura to Dalmagre and then to a remote village near Chidekgre, Bernard claimed that an attempt was made to rename it to PA Sangma skill development centre.
Bernard further alleged that Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was using the YESS fund to strengthen the party’s youth wing. In Garo Hills, depriving genuine youths and amount of Rs 1 lakh under YESS, which was supposed to be given to the youth clubs for youth engagement through empowered youth organisations.
“NPP youths have been asked to form clubs which the administration helped to register last Saturday. They are asked to open an account particularly in the rural Bank where an amount of Rs 1 lakh will be given before the code of conduct is imposed. This money will be used politically to lure votes during election,” he alleged, adding that the government had violated the criteria, term and conditions of the YESS guidelines.
