SHILLONG, OCT 8: Leader of Opposition and TMC leader Dr Mukul Sangma on Thursday slammed the BJP over its promises to the eight former UDP MLAs who recently joined the saffron party, calling it a “quid pro quo” that is “illegal, unethical and unconstitutional.”
Sangma alleged that the BJP was weaponising its power at the Centre to poach legislators by inducement.
Terming the BJP’s assurances to fulfil their demands including resumption of coal mining before the 2028 Assembly polls as false, Sangma said, “About coal mining, they said it would start within six months in 2018. Is it not a fact? BJP included, the rhetoric of BJP. In the 2018 election, the general secretary in-charge Meghalaya of BJP, they gave statement after statement as though they will do wonders, come on. People have been taken for a ride.”
“Their promise and the failure to implement their promise is a lie. When you promise something and you don’t enforce it, that means it was a lie. So they were liars,” he said.
“Now, they try to convince the people of the state of Meghalaya that oh they have suddenly become the messiah for expeditious coal mining. I am sorry, that is to justify their action of being the victims of poaching. Yes, they are victims of poaching and they have gone not for the interest of the people, not to facilitate coal mining,” he added.
Sangma further said, “And not only coal mining, what more, the other issues, the language, why? BJP has to weaponize their power, that means BJP is weaponizing their position in Delhi to engage in poaching by inducement that I will do, I will do that.”
“You cannot say. It is a quid pro quo, whether it is in action, it is corruption. That means you join, we will give. It is a quid pro quo. That is wrong. That is illegal, unethical and unconstitutional. That is very bad for the future of the nation and it doesn’t augur well for the future of this great nation. The nation which has withstood the test of time unlike other countries which have failed,” he said.
“So it is nothing but quid pro quo. This quid pro quo in politics should go and the people of the state of Meghalaya must stand together and say that we don’t want your quid pro quo, that means everybody will be told you join our BJP and then we give you this, this,” Sangma asserted.
The former chief minister said whatever comes to the state is its constitutional entitlement and not charity from the Centre.
“I have always said that whatever comes to the state is the entitlement of the state, the constitutional provision, nothing is coming because of… we are not beggars. The provision of the constitution is so robust and so broad in giving the kind of share of power and resources of this great nation by the mandate of the constitution itself. Therefore, whatever is entitled for the state, no Government of India can withhold it and legislators must know. Do these respective legislators don’t know this or what?” he questioned.
“The constitution is very clear, it is here. How the devolution of taxes takes place, it is this particular Constitution of India which provides this, not any political party in power in Delhi. Therefore, we should not tell the people if we do this we will not get this. We have to enlighten our people, educate our people, not somehow try to misguide the people just to justify their own unfortunate incident where they have become victims of poaching. There may be many other reasons why they have become victims of poaching, you will never know,” Sangma added.
By Our Reporter
