BJP State President Ernest Mawrie today alleged the NPP run state government of misusing the focus scheme. He accused the National People’s Party (NPP) of allegedly taking a loan of over Rs 1500 crore for distribution to the people under the FOCUS scheme.
Alleging that NPP is misusing the scheme in some urban constituencies, the state BJP president said, the NPP candidates in some constituencies like West Shillong are going to the public and are asking for their bank accounts to transfer Rs 4000 -5000 under the FOCUS scheme. He said that the even though the scheme is meant for producer groups and farmers in the rural areas.
Warning people that the scheme given to them is not a grant but a loan, which they will have to repay in the future, Mawrie said as per sources, it was learnt that the NPP-led government had taken a loan of over Rs 1500 crore from the foreign investments.
“If they are taking a loan (to implement the FOCUS scheme), definitely in the future banks will catch the beneficiaries ……….. and they will have to repay back (the loan) with interest…,” Mawrie alleged.
He further added, “Therefore, I request the people of the state to be careful because you may receive Rs 5,000 but in the future you will have to repay back the loan with interest as it is not free and it is not a grant.”
Meanwhile, BJP state president Ernest Mawrie on Friday said that the central leadership of the party may take a call on pulling out of the NPP-led MDA government in a meeting which will be held very soon.
When asked on the BJP’s decision to stick with the MDA government despite allegations of corruption, Mawrie however said that the state party had already informed the matter to the central leadership. “We are waiting for the decision of the central leadership,” he added.
Mawrie further claimed that the central leadership will not take much time to take a final call on the matter.
“I am going to Delhi tomorrow. We will have a meeting with our national president, Union home minister Amit Shah and CM of Assam, may be in that meeting they will take a call (on whether to pull out of the MDA government),” he said.
Stating that it is not a question that only BJP should raise corruption issues, he said, “The other parties who are part of the government if they are concerned about corruption they should also raise questions but they have not played their role.”
“Whatever corruption issues taken up by the BJP now they just join the chorus with us – be it Saubhagya, be it district council, any corruption issue,” he said.
He said TMC are raising issues of corruption only before elections. “They have got their own role as opposition in the House but I have never seen (them raising corruption issues) but only in paper reports they are giving that they are against it,” he added.
Meanwhile, the state president informed that the party would only call application from ticket aspirants after the elections are declared by the Election Commission of India.
He said the party will be contesting from all the 60 seats.
“Already we have aspirant candidates from all constituencies. In some constituencies we have multiple aspirant candidates and you know we are a national party and we are in line with the survey which already survey have been done. We are waiting for few final surveys and the indication for the candidates is already there,” he informed.