The claims made by the opposition that Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar is involved in the drug trade and that the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) has used proceeds from the illegal business to woo rebel MLAs are anti-national, Chief Minister and NPP chief Conrad K Sangma said today.
It was state Congress Party president Vincent Pala who kicked things off by making the original allegations. Then, Leader of the Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma of the Trinamool Congress said he would write to the Prime Minister to apprise him of the seriousness of the allegations (but also added that Pala must act further on his claims). Yesterday, cabinet minister Kyrmen Shylla of the United Democratic Party stated that any minister involved in drugs should not just be kicked out of cabinet but banished from Meghalaya. He also stated that the allegations made against Dhar are extremely serious and require proof and he was sure the CM would consider the claims.
Today, the CM said that MLAs have been wanting to join the NPP to work for development of their constituencies and the state.
“Regarding the allegations, they are completely baseless,” he said. “One can make any allegations and it’s very unfortunate that responsible leaders at that level could make such statements without any basis or any kind of fact. And a strong allegation like that, that individuals are involved in drugs, is not just completely wrong in terms of our society, but it is anti-national in its entirety and in the kind of effect and impact it has.”
Emphasising that the state government has worked extensively to curtail the flow of drugs, Sangma said that a lot of efforts have gone in and that progress has been seen in the last three years.
The CM further informed that the government has recently notified a committee that will be headed by autonomous district councils in different districts, including Shillong, that will include members from different localities, headmen and development committees.
“And the mandate will be to not just look at the drug issue within localities but also monitor the implementation of MRSSA (Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act), also look into the aspects of cleanliness in a particular locality, and also water-related issues,” Sangma explained. “So we are coming up with a committee at the district level, especially the headquarters of each district, starting with Shillong, Tura and Jowai, which will look at these aspects, including the aspect of drugs, also rehabilitation and other aspects, because this is a menace that we all have to work together to fight.”
