BJP bankrupt of ideas: Mukul Sangma 

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: Meghalaya Congress leader Mukul Sangma joined the ongoing slugfest with the BJP by stating that the rival party at the helm of affairs at the Centre is being ‘bankrupt of ideas’. Alluding to the BJP-led Government proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) that is still pending at the Rajya Sabha, Sangma said that the proposed legislation has been carried out without understanding the microscopic communities of the north-eastern region and by breaching the federal structure of the Constitution.

“The intention to bring an amendment to the Citizenship Act reflects the complete bankruptcy of ideas, knowledge and its complete disregard to the sentiments of the people of the region”, stated the former Meghalaya Chief Minister in Shillong after a meeting of the manifesto consultative committee held in the city on Tuesday.

Sangma said that the CAB should be scrapped and the Congress will ensure that it will be scrapped, besides pointing at the BJP and it’s ruling allies (including the NPP led Government in the state) of having come up with lies after lies.

“Right from Rajnath Singhji (Union Home Minister) to several other leaders who comes to the State, has made many false promises and by now they could have already started the school of lies,” stated Sangma in his jibe against the ruling dispensation at the Centre and the State.

In his verbal attack against the BJP and its allies, the State Congress leader also referred to the talks on Act East Policy that replaced the Look East Policy. “The visit of the numerous central ministers is a visit North East policy and not act east policy”, he sarcastically stated.

Commenting on the manifesto of the Congress for the 2019 Lok Sabha election which is slated for this year, Dr Sangma also stated that it will reflect the aspirations and expectations of the people of the region.

“We will compile them through exhaustive consultation,” he said.

The Opposition leader also said that the Congress will try and fulfil the promises that will be in the manifesto unlike other political parties who made promises but did not deliver.

“Congress doesn’t make promises that we do not intend to fulfill,” Dr Sangma said.

He pointed out that the BJP in Meghalaya in its manifesto promised that it will work on lifting the ban on coal mining within six months of coming to power. The BJP now is a partner in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) coalition.

Similarly, the opposition leader pointed out that before the 2014 Assembly polls, the BJP had made promises to bring back black money and depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank accounts of the citizens of the country.

Dr Sangma said that these promises were made just to get votes.

Meanwhile, on the inter-State border dispute with Assam, Dr Sangma alleged that the then Opposition parties in Assam like the AGP and the BJP did not want the border dispute to be solved.

Also Read: Meghalaya News