SHILLONG, Aug 27: Tura MP Saleng Sangma on Tuesday said the three Congress MLAs who joined the NPP will be fooled by the government in the name of development.
Saleng, who is a Congress stalwart, said the trio is destined to lose in the next Assembly elections and therefore, the Congress is not bothered.
Recalling the NPP’s claims about taking up development initiatives at the constituencies of the three legislators, Saleng said the NPP had inaugurated blocks and projects just before the Lok Sabha elections but many of those are now not working.
“How can you expect this government to give something to these MLAs? Maybe, the NPP will fool them by just inaugurating those blocks,” he said even as he claimed that MDA is a “virtual government”.
On statements that the Congress is on the verge of being wiped out, Saleng said on the contrary, the Congress is reviving.
He said the MLAs, who once shouted against corruption, joined those they were protesting against. He said the Congress has decided to include new faces with new ideas in the party.
Saleng made a scathing attack on Purno Sangma’s family for allegedly failing to develop the Gambegre constituency even when one of its members was serving as the chief minister while another was a minister.
He said before him, a member of the Purno Sangma family – Admiral K Sangma – represented the area. Even Purno Sangma was a central minister, he said.
Claiming that he has done more for the constituency in the last 15 years than what the Purno Sangma family did, Saleng said many areas in his constituency once did not have a black-topped road.
“Areas like Doldegre were not connected. There was only one hanging bridge and Purno Sangma was the CM that time,” he said.
Saleng also said that his constituency now has residential schools, the Pine Mount International School, an agricultural market, a CHC, a block, zip-line facilities and a gym.
“We were getting a rehabilitation centre but James Sangma forcibly took it away to his constituency,” he said.
Asking the NPP to look at the history of the constituency before blaming him for the lack of development, Saleng said when he took over as an MLA, there were hardly any graduates in his constituency but today, there are thousands of them.
