SHILLONG, March 29: Some defining allegations of corruption levelled during recent electioneering by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister against the MDA Government continue to haunt Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
First, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh wrote to CBI seeking a probe into alleged graft charges.
During the week-long budget session, the issue popped up almost every single day.
Latching on to the “most corrupt state in the country” remark, some opposition members tried to needle the treasury benches.
Unruffled, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma responded diplomatically by interpreting the embarrassing allegations as election rhetoric. Maintaining nonchalance, he tried to play it down saying that such things are often said during elections.
North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum even dared the Conrad Sangma government to “give a strong and befitting response” to the allegations of corruption against the government made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Nongrum, while recalling the statements by Modi and Shah, wondered if persons of their stature would speak like that without having enough knowledge about what is going on in the way the funds released by the central government are spent in the state.
Congress MLA, Dr Celestine Lyngdoh remarked that such allegations have directly affected the image of the state. “The allegations are not unfounded,” he said while reminding about the various scams that took place in the state such as Saubhagya scam, Smart Meter scam, Rice scam etc.
Lyngdoh said that it was really embarrassing not only for the state but also people from the state studying outside that Meghalaya is being tagged as the most corrupt state.
However, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma remained composed and took the body blows with equanimity. He repeatedly described such allegations as election rhetoric. “During elections, many things are said and even the partners of the MDA had said many things against each other”.
Although corruption was critical issue during election campaign, the budget session did not witness any focussed discussion on the issue.
After aggressively accusing the NPP of corruption during electioneering, the BJP soon took a U-turn on its stand saying there is no proof of corruption against the MDA 1.0 and added that the allegations made during the elections were only for winning votes.
The statement had come from BJP national vice president and Meghalaya in-charge, M Chuba Ao, who gave a clean chit to MDA even though Prime Minister Narenda Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had termed NPP and Meghalaya as the most corrupt during the election campaign.
When asked about the accusations of corruption made by top brass of BJP, M Chuba Ao echoed the words of chief minister. He said that these were election-time allegations and cannot be taken too seriously. Observers believe that PM Modi who appears to have already buried the hatchet, is unlikely to push it any further.
