Although they may have publicly denounced the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Meghalaya, all parties in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance had a hand in bringing it about.
This was stated by state Congress leader and Mylliem MDC Ronnie V Lyngdoh, who was speaking at the Mylliem Youth Congress convention today in Nongkseh.
“We must not forget that [Chief Minister] Conrad Sangma’s sister Agatha (the Tura MP) supported the CAA in Parliament,” Lyngdoh said. “And we must also not forget that all the regional parties (in the MDA coalition) are under the umbrella of North East Democratic Alliance, headed by the BJP CM from Assam and for our state everything is controlled from Delhi and Guwahati and no longer from Shillong.”
The former cabinet minister also urged the people not to be swayed by money or gifts before the polls. He said that four to five parties tried to bribe him with crores of rupees to join them but he rejected them all because it is only the Congress that brought Meghalaya the district councils, carved it out of Assam, and gave it laws that protect tribal rights, besides the Right to Information (RTI) Act and Lokayukta.
Meanwhile, Congress candidate for East Shillong Manuel Badwar maintained that the people will be surprised to see the Congress rise again this election. Although the party won the most number of seats in 2018, it was unable to cobble together a coalition and saw its strength wither away completely through defections and by-election defeats over the years.
“I urge the youth to understand and not be duped by the distribution of piglets, roof tins and money that has intensified these days,” Badwar said. “These things become useless if we don’t have a monthly income. And a monthly income can only be delivered by a good government that can pave the way, create opportunities and uplift the youth towards progress.”
Meghalaya needs real statesmen who foresee what the people will need in the future and not mere politicians whose sole motive is just to win the election and who are unconcerned about the future of the state.
