Shillong: The opposition Congress on Wednesday launched a massive accusation against the National People’s Party(NPP)-led Meghalaya government of turning COVID-19 testing points, police and forest check gates into Automated Teller Machine (ATM) kiosks.
“People used to say that Congress is corrupt, but not a single corruption scandal was there when the Congress was in power. Today you see (corruption) it on the roadside or in the offices,” Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee President, Vincent H. Pala alleged.
Claiming that COVID-19 testing points, police and forest check gates in Meghalaya have turned into as ATMs for minting money illegally, the sitting Lok Sabha member said,“all those COVID-19 camps which used to check people now have become ATMs of the NPP and the United Democratic Party (UDP), the key partner in the MDA coalition government.
“If you go from Shillong to Jowai, you will see lots of small gates, police check gates, forest checkgates – all those are ATMs for them (UDP and NPP) spend during the elections,” he said.
Voicing confidence of winning all the three seats in the upcoming bye elections, the former Union Minister said, “We are working overtime and if you look on the ground i think Congress works more than any other party. Therefore, I am very confident that we will win in all the three seats.”
Countering State Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s statement that Congress is “driverless due to infighting within the party”, Pala said, “So Conrad when he has no agendas he only pointed to the Congress. There is no such divisions we are totally strong. I think this time we are more stronger and united than ever before.”
The MPCC president, however, said, “It is unfortunate to see that cabinet ministers don’t see eye to eye amongst themselves because fighting for bones within the government.”
Reiterating that Congress is fighting as “one unit” and dismissed reports of factionalism, especially between him and leader of opposition Dr. Mukul Sangma, the veteran Congress leader said, “We are working together. I think at the beginning there might have been a misunderstanding but today Mukul is working hard and I am working very hard.”
