Shillong: State’s ruling National People’s Party (NPP) on Wednesday hit out at the opposition Trinamool Congress (TMC) over its Meghalaya poll promises, saying that their “political masters in Kolkata” should first address the “pathetic situation” of the farmers in Bengal.
The Conrad Sangma-led party also termed the poll farm promises by the TMC as “fallow” and “fake.”
“TMC’s fake promises could have been more realistic, had their political masters in Kolkata, have taken cognisance of the pathetic situation of the farmers in Bengal, before strategizing for Meghalaya,” the NPP said.
“… the Farm promises by TMC have been vague and generic. They lacked any concrete data on the number of farmers to be benefitted or type of interventions that would be taken up. There are promises that are hollow and more of a publicity stunt,” the party statement added.
Alleging the TMC’s sole motive is to deceive citizens, the NPP which is eyeing to regain power with a whopping victory, said, “Can’t restrict the public memory of the recent multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in Bengal involving TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal.”
“It is just a matter of time that the TMC would be taught a lesson by farmers and citizens of Meghalaya, for their mischief and devious nature towards the state of Meghalaya, in pursuit of their electoral prospects,” the NPP said.
The NPP is upset over the poll promises of TMC which included financial assistance of Rs. 10000 annually, farm centre in all districts and farm crop insurance policy.
The NPP said the TMC leaders (Mukul Sangma and others while in Congress party) while they were in power from 2010 – 2018 “failed to understand the plight of the farmers and ignored them.”
“We feel that TMC and their leaders were in deep slumber during their tenure and are trying to replicate what NPP has already started. TMC should rely on local issues rather than thinking too much of what they did in Bengal and replicate the same in Meghalaya,” the NPP said.
Moreover, the NPP said the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government introduced the biggest farmers welfare scheme Focus and Focus plus.
“The TMC is scared and finding no way out to reach out to the farming community is promising financial assistance to the farmers, which the NPP government is already doing and has envisioned the scheme for next 10 years,” the NPP said.
