Congress flays BJP, UDP for trying to pass the Citizenship Bill

A Reporter

SHILLONG: Congress legislator from Umroi, George Lyngdoh, has slammed the BJP government in the Centre for trying to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

He was addressing an MDC election rally at Mawkhar on Saturday evening for Congress candidate B Rumnong from Mawkhar-Pynthoumkhrah constituency.

According to Lyngdoh, the BJP had tried to tell the people of the country that Hindus living in Bangladesh are being persecuted. However, the Bangladesh Prime Minister had clarified that no Hindus are being maltreated in that country.

The Congress legislator pointed out that it was his party that did not allow the tabling of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Lyngdoh also said the BJP has a political agenda through the Bill and that is to create difference among communities.

“The BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election would go to the electorates and tell the citizens of the country that the Congress is against the Hindus and therefore blocked the passing of the Bill,” Lyngdoh said.

The MLA, from Umroi also came down heavily on United Democratic Party (UDP) general secretary, Jemino Mawthoh’s comment that the Congress is a spent force and its support base is slowly declining.

“I want to tell this small fact that after the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress won 21 seats while the UDP won only six seats. This very fact proves the point which party has more strong support base,” Lyngdoh said.

On the recent statement of UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh that he is trying to rally all the regional political forces to join hands under one regional front – The North East Secular Front – the Congress MLA from Umroi said he has been hearing this since he was a child.

“I have grown up in a family whose father was a regional party leader. I have seen there is no agreement among its various leaders,” Lyngdoh said.

He also pointed out that the various parties in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) are yet to agree on a common candidate for the Lok Sabha polls this year.

It may be pointed out that Lyngdoh is the son of former Chief Minister late EK Mawlong.

He also alleged that the National People’s Party (NPP)-led MDA government is actually being run by the BJP from New Delhi.

Lyngdoh said the MDA coalition government does not have a common minimum programme which should have acted like a policy to carry the agenda of development in the State forward.

Also read: Meghalaya News