Shillong, Nov 13: Meghalaya has a budget of Rs. 39,000 crores, but after paying Rs. 4,200 crore in loan repayments, the state is left with almost nothing from its own revenue.
That was the stark warning by Congress candidate for the Shillong Lok Sabha by-election, Vincent H Pala, at a public meeting at Iawmusiang Stand, Ummulong, on Friday.
“Tax collection is only Rs. 4,700 crore a year, leaving only Rs. 500 crores from our own tax revenue for use. Most of the money comes from the Central government. This shows the decline of our economy,” Pala said.
“Almost everything is being done through loans, and this will affect the future of our children,” he added.
Pala said the same debt trap is strangling the country. India now has to pay up to Rs. 200 lakh crores in debt, with interest alone amounting to Rs. 14 lakh crores. Twenty-six per cent of the country’s expenditure, he said, goes only to debt repayment.
“The money does not reach the people. The country is going backwards,” he said.
On the by-election, Pala said voting for the NPP is like voting for the BJP, and voting for other parties has no meaning.
He alleged that the BJP has brought a series of Bills that are against Christians and biased against minorities, and said only the Congress can fight them.
“In 2029, when Congress comes to power, we will repeal all those anti-Christian Bills,” Pala declared.
He also warned against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which he said the BJP government is trying to impose. The law, he said, would create serious problems for marriage, customs and inheritance under traditional practices.
“Earlier, thousands got work as contractors. Now only one person in power gets it. Those who have are getting more, those who have lost are losing more. This is the working policy of this government,” Pala said.
Pala alleged that the BJP uses the same voters in other states to win elections, and claimed that after Congress exposed this malpractice, the BJP will not get a chance in 2029.
Pala listed the development works he had brought to Meghalaya during his tenure as MP of the Shillong Parliamentary Constituency and said Congress victory will be a hope for the citizens of the country. He expressed hope that Congress will return to power from 2028 onwards.
Pala was accompanied by former Rajya Sabha MP WR Kharlukhi, JHADC MDCs Madonbai Rymbai and Rikut Parein, District Congress General Secretary EG War, Nartiang BCC President Emlang Laloo and other party leaders.
