Mukul Sangma is becoming frustrated: Conrad

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, May 8:  tiolist People’s Party (NPP) candidate for the Tura Lok Sabha by-poll, Conrad K Sangma today said that Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma’s threat to finish off the party founded by late Purno Agitok Sangma shows that he is frustrated.

According to Conrad, the Chief Minister’s outburst at an election rally on Saturday shows his frustration, since the Congress is losing ground in Garo Hills.

It may be mentioned that on Saturday while holding an election campaign rally for his wife and Congress candidate Dikkanchi D Shira at Dagal Apal village of Songsak constituency in East Garo Hills, Dr Sangma had dared the NPP to retain its hold on Dadenggre and Songsak assembly constituencies, represented by NPP in the current assembly.

Elder son of Late P A Sangma, James Pangsang K Sangma is the Dadenggre MLA while Nihim D Shira represents Songsak constituency in East Garo Hills.

“They (people) will judge, whom to vote and elect. We (politicians) can only explain our agenda and mission to the people,” Conrad said today.

Meanwhile, Conrad also justified the scrapping of the power deals inked by the Congress regime a year before the state assembly election in 2007.

Six power projects were inked in 2007, when Dr Sangma was the Power Minister under the Chief Ministership of Dr DD Lapang.

Dr Sangma during the election rally at Dagal Apal village accused the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance of scrapping the power projects when it came to power in 2008. Conrad was Fince and Power Minister in the Dr Donkupar Roy government of the NCP-BJP-UDP combine. “While Congress was creating projects, Conrad was cancelling them,” the Chief Minister had alleged during the election rally.

Countering the charges made by the Chief Minister, Conrad said that some of those companies, who were given the projects, had no prior experience.

He also stated that the MPA government had no choice but to scrap the projects since they had violated the law because these were allotted to the companies without intertiol bidding.

In 2007, the MDA government had signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Jaypee Group, Dharampal Satyapal Group, ETA Star, Athe Project Private Limited, Seven Sisters Energy Limited and SEW Energy Limited under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) system for 40 years. The companies were supposed to develop the Kynshi Stage-I, Kynshi Stage-II, Umngot, Leshka Stage-II, Umiew and Simsang Basin. Meanwhile, with just over a week to go for the Tura Lok Sabha seat by-poll the Congress is leaving no stone unturned to wrest the seat which was held by Purno A Sangma.

According to sources, the MPCC president, Dr DD Lapang and a host of cabinet ministers are scheduled to visit Garo Hills this week to drum up support for Dikkanchi D Shira.