Shillong: The opposition Congress on Thursday revealed that many ministers and MLAs have been served with demand notes in Meghalaya, with the leader of opposition, Mukul Sangma slamming the Conrad Sangma-led government’s ‘insensitivity towards the issue.
“Please ask the Chief Minister how many MLAs and how many of the ministers have received demand notes then you will know what is the gravity of the situation (whether) it is fine or is it okay,” the former Chief Minister said.
“If they say okay then let him (Chief Minister) say okay; let me see does he have the guts to say okay,” the Leader of Opposition challenged his successor.
Maintaining that there was “complete insensitivity” on part of the incumbent government towards this crucial concern, Sangma asserted, “What you see and what you know is just tip of the iceberg I must tell you. Because, if I have tried to draw the attention of the government, particularly the Chief Minister, to convene the meeting of the State Security Commission, there were innumerable reasons and this is one of them”.
There have been recent reports alleging that the banned HNLC had been serving demand notes to many people, including big business tycoons and politicians in the name of “income tax.”
Underscoring that it was the responsibility of each and every one to ensure that the state does not go to “that kind of disastrous future”, the veteran Congress legislator said, “Our youth must not lose hope that they become so vulnerable or rather that they get so frustrated and angry and become vulnerable. No you can’t afford to allow this to happen”.
When journalists asked for details, the Leader of Opposition countered, “You have to ask the chief minister. He should answer, why should I do his job”.
“We had been able to restore peace and normalcy in the state and we had taken claim and taken pride in being able to do so. If it now slips back and goes through this, then people have the right to know,” he asserted.
Emphasising that has to be “fear of the law”, the Congress legislator said, “Any civilised nation will have to ensure that. If there is no fear of law we don’t have to fear for anybody. It is the law that regulates everybody’s action. It is the law that creates deterrence; otherwise the world will not be a livable planet”.
