The opposition Congress said that the regional political parties are involved with regards to the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Parliament in 2019.
Speaking to reporters, Congress leader and Mylliem MDC Ronnie V Lyngdoh said,
“All regional parties are complicit, they cannot wash their hands, they are hand in glove to ensure CAB becomes an Act in Parliament.”.
He said that the regional parties should have come out from the MDA government if they had really opposed the CAB and put the interest of the people and the state infront.
Lyngdoh said in December 2019, all 60 MLAs passed an official resolution against the CAB. However, when the Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the CAB in parliament, NPP MP from Tura, Agatha Sangma, who is the sister of the national president of NPP and chief minister Conrad K Sangma, extended her full support to CAB.
“Despite this, the regional parties are keeping silent and did not question Conrad K Sangma whether the support given by his sister was with the knowledge of the NPP because they care so much about their chairs. Therefore, we want people to know that if we are being outnumbered tomorrow in our own homeland, the regional parties are to be blamed,” he said.
Lyngdoh said that had the two MPs from Meghalaya opposed the CAB, the state could have appealed against the Bill at an international platform.
On the atrocities against religious minorities and tribal minorities, the Congress leader said that the NPP is part and parcel of the BJP-led NDA and the regional parties are part of the NEDA, which is also being led by BJP are complicit and are responsible for all the actions that are being perpetrated on the minorities.
“They cannot escape as for five years they have been working together, now you cannot say no because you are complicit maybe not directly but by being part of this MDA government you are all complicit and if atrocities have been perpetrated on minorities, they are also equally responsible, they cannot escape responsibility,” he said.
When asked, Lyngdoh expressed confidence that the people of the state will reject the BJP since the religious minorities and tribal minorities have born the brunt of their polarization.
“If the people of Meghalaya are so stupid to vote BJP then you only have accepted all these attacks on the minorities and I believe the people of Meghalaya are going to reject this party because we want to live peacefully with all our Indian citizens who are in Meghalaya,” he said.
He said there is need to live in harmony and to work towards progress as there is so much that needs to be done for Meghalaya in terms of infrastructure, employment, health care, education. Lyngdoh said, “You talk in every sense, we need that we don’t need to polarize. You don’t need to be in power to polarize the people. Now if you take up real development activities, the people are going to vote for you.”
Pointing out to the just concluded elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, Lyngdoh said that the religious minorities and tribal minorities and voters in the rest of the country are now rejecting the BJP because of its policy of division, policy of polarization on religious ground and on other grounds.
He said while in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won 40 out of 68 seats as people rejected the BJP.
“In Gujarat, had it not been for the B-team of the BJP, AAP, the Congress would have come to power. There is hope in the entire country, the political parties which used to work together with the BJP like Akalidal, JDU in Bihar, JMM in Jharkhand, TRS in Telangana, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and other states have also rejected the BJP.”
He however said unfortunately in Meghalaya, the same political parties which are claiming that they love the ‘Jaitbynriew’ are still with the MDA, which is being backed by the BJP.
Meanwhile, former minister JA Lyngdoh said the people will give a befitting reply in 2023 by rejecting the NPP-led MDA government.
“The people of the state do not want to see that this MDA government will come back in 2023…If they are fed up with the NPP, UDP, BJP and other coalition partners, the only alternative they have now is the Congress. Therefore, I am telling you just wait and see 2023 elections, the Congress will be the single largest party which will win more seats than all these other parties,” he asserted.