TMC to take poll battle to Conrad citadel

SHILLONG, Feb 13: The TMC, riding a popular anger against the ruling NPP government, is all geared up to take the campaign battle to the home turf of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. The party’s star campaigner and national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee is going to lead its poll charge in South Tura on February 15.
He is scheduled to take out a padyatra (foot march) from Hawakhana petrol pump to Tura Bazaar and hold a public meeting at the council building premises in Tura market.
The election temperature is rising in South Tura and everywhere in the state. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s statements such as “conman Sangma running a double heist government with the BJP from the Centre,” and the ‘virus’ tag during his first visit to the state have rubbed NPP the wrong way.
The NPP reacted by terming Mamata’s comments as an insult to the state. With exactly two weeks left before the state goes to polls on February 27, the BJP, TMC and Congress are set to rope in a host of star campaigners to create a pitch for the high-voltage elections.
The TMC’s campaign will be bolstered by star campaigners such as Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Mahua Moitra, Derek O’Brien and Saket Gokhale.
Meanwhile, TMC candidate from South Tura Richard M Marak launched an attack on CM Conrad Sangma for his alleged ‘inept governance’ and spreading ‘false information.’
He targeted the CM for listing the success stories of the NPP-led MDA government over the last five years. The Meghalaya TMC candidate also questioned, “How could the CM take pride in saying that through the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, it connected 2.5 lakh plus households with water pipe connections from 4,000 in 2018?”
“The reality is that the NPP government stands on a sticky wicket. Its claims on the JJM implementation are a farce. For instance, in Rongjeng’s Imamsdrop village, the villagers were not only deprived of drinking water but the village headman of Imsamdrop had also accused the PHE department of tricking them into believing the project was completed last year. Many households in South Tura are also deprived of drinking water,” said Richard.
Countering the statement made by the CM about the latter’s claim of ensuring peace in the state, the South Tura candidate said, “The CM has made false claims to the next level by saying he is committed to ensuring that peace and tranquillity prevail in the state. The recent Phulbari clash where the NPP MDC was directly involved in the attack on youth and teachers, who protested for their rights peacefully in the streets, unmasked the face of CM Conrad Sangma.”
The Meghalaya TMC leader also alleged Conrad has failed miserably to uplift the living condition of the people of different sections of society.