SHILLONG, Feb 23: NPP national president and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday fired yet another salvo at his predecessor and TMC stalwart Mukul Sangma by reminding the latter of his involvement in the MBoSE firing incident of 2005 where nine innocent lives were lost.
“He (Mukul) may have joined TMC but he is the same person. Garo Hills will never forget the September 30, 2005 incident, where nine lives were lost,” Conrad said addressing a rally at Dadenggre.
His elder sibling and minister James PK Sangma is contesting from this constituency in the Garo Hills.
Claiming that NPP will retain power, he asked the members of other political parties, including TMC, to join NPP and pledge their support.
“There is no point supporting TMC or any other parties. NPP is set to form the government. Let us not waste our votes. Come out to vote and pledge support for NPP,” he said.
Attacking the leader of Opposition further, Conrad said, “Mukul Sangma left Congress as he thought there was no future in the party but he failed to calculate that the people of Garo Hills will never accept a party that is from outside when they have the option to choose a party from their own state.”
Accusing Mukul of using force and not initiating dialogues to resolve issues, the CM said NPP believes in carrying forward the views of people.
“We will never do anything that is against the aspirations of people. NPP always stands to protect and safeguard the interests of our people,” he said.
Conrad said his government faced many challenges in the past five years but it tried to tackle those by initiating dialogues and not using force.
Lauding James for his commitment, Conrad claimed the former has not only worked for Dadenggre but the entire state. He thanked people for reposing their faith in his brother.
He informed the gathering of the ongoing construction of Rongram-Dadenggre and Phulbari road which remained neglected until James took the lead. He said the creation of a new district with Dadenggre as the headquarters will be the priority of the NPP if it is voted to power.
James thanked the people of Dadenggre for turning up in large numbers to welcome the NPP chief. He also thanked Conrad for his various development initiatives in the area.
At Williamnagar, Conrad claimed that sitting MLA Marcuise Marak ensured a turnaround of the Williamnagar town by initiating and engaging with the government for various development works.
He highlighted some ongoing road projects, construction of a new college building, water supply project etc. “The previous government did not extend any support to Williamnagar College but the NPP-led government sanctioned Rs 12 crore to ensure the completion of the new building,” Conrad said.
He said the NPP prioritized development and growth despite several challenges. “We were ridiculed by the Opposition but we remained steadfast and focused on our works. We were not distracted by the noise created by the Opposition but prioritized people’s welfare,” he said.
Attacking the previous government on the use of guns and force to scare people, the CM said, “Civil bodies and groups continue to protest to show their anger against government but we have not resorted to force to oppose them.”
“We respect the sentiments of people and made decisions occasionally based on their aspirations. We believe in seeking public opinions before taking a decision,” Conrad reiterated.
Later, he addressed another rally at Phulbari for party candidate and former minister AT Mondal.
