SHILLONG, Feb 14: BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday promised to rid Meghalaya of corruption, if voted to power.
The statement assumes significance viewed against the backdrop of waves of allegation of corruption in high places during the past five years.
The State BJP, which has been part of the MDA coalition, had continually flagged corruption charges. The saffron party even threatened to quit the coalition but central leaders did not endorse the idea.
Nadda, who is on his first visit to Meghalaya to campaign for the party ahead of the Assembly polls, was critical of the Congress and the TMC but made no negative remarks against the its ally — NPP.
He was particularly critical of the TMC, saying the party from West Bengal will finish the local cultures of the state.
Addressing a party rally at Jhalupara on Tuesday, Nadda said the TMC stands for ‘Tolabazi (a term used for extortion in West Bengal), Money laundering and Mafia, and Corruption and Commission. “They are the ones who divide society and do politics in the name of religion. They are the ones who even bring people from other countries on a boat to vote. They are the ones who will finish the local culture here. Will you allow such people to stay here?” he asked.
He also attacked Congress, saying the party is nowhere but wants to be in power anyhow.
“Congress has no honesty and just wants the chair. It fights together with TMC in Assam but separately in Bengal,” Nadda said.
He said Meghalaya wants to be on par with the rest of the country in terms of development but is facing problems in moving forward due to corruption. “The BJP will make Meghalaya a corruption-free state,” he asserted.
Impressed with the attendance at the rally, Nadda said the BJP will try to get 50 seats in the state.
He claimed the BJP-led government at the Centre built 11 crore toilets across the country, including 2.7 lakh in Meghalaya to make the state open defecation-free.
“We never said we will give you highways but we did,” he said while informing the crowd that the Centre is working on infrastructure projects worth Rs 9 lakh crore in the Northeast and Rs 3,400 crore is being spent in the region through the North East Special Infrastructure Development Fund.
Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid and inaugurated projects worth Rs 2,450 crore in Meghalaya in December, he said Modi is working to bring all the backward castes into the mainstream.
“That is why I appeal to all of you that if the button is pressed at the right place, development takes place and if it is pressed at the wrong place, corruption and commission take place,” Nadda said.
Earlier, state BJP president Ernest Mawrie sought the cooperation of the voters and insisted that BJP is the only party that would take Meghalaya on the path of development.
Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai elicited laughter from the crowd by ridiculing Congress as a party that claims “Congress ka hath garib ke sath, jitne ke baad, garib ko laath”.
Rituraj Sinha, AL Hek, David Kharsati and other senior leaders were present at the rally. Hek and Shullai danced to the tunes of the BJP song before the rally began.
Nadda is scheduled to release the party manifesto on Wednesday besides holding several other meetings.
