SHILLONG, AUG 22: The BJP Meghalaya state today alleged the ruling Congress of coming up with a “political conspiracy” to paint the BJP with a tag of anti-Christian and beef-ban even as it asked the Congress to be ready for surprises in the upcoming 2018 assembly elections.
“Today Congress is unable to find fault with BJP, so they have come with a political conspiracy to paint BJP with a tag of anti-Christian and beef-ban,” BJP state vice president John Anthony Lyngdoh said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.
His statement came as a strong reaction to the recent allegation made by Congress senior leader and cabinet minister Ronnie V Lyngdoh that the BJP’s promptness in meeting leaders of religious groups was only to “masquerade” its hidden agenda.
Terming Ronnie’s statement as a reflection that the Congress is starved of issues to fight the BJP, he however said, “Oppositions have seized the meeting-with-religious-leaders as a god-send chance to consolidate support with the desperateness of a drowning man in the sea clutching at the floating straw, they have gripped the RELIGIOUS issues for their political survival.”
According to him, the estimation being raised by the Congress that the BJP is interfering with provision of the Constitution of India is evidently surcharged with politics, more than any grave concern for human rights or democratic conventions.
John also asked the Congress to go through their history that what happen in Congress regimes in Arunachal and Brahmaputra Valley.
Maintaining that the only agenda of the BJP is development and a corruption free Government and to uplift the poor people economically from the grass root level of the country, he said that the party national spokesman Nalin Kohli had clearly stated in his meeting with Church leaders has nothing to do with politics.
“Ronnie may please clarify from our Church leaders,” he said adding “The meeting had nothing to do with electioneering for 2018. There were correctly no hidden agendas in the meeting. The only agenda of the BJP is development and a corruption-free Government in Meghalaya which the Congress fears to tread.”
The state vice president also stated that the Congress now is experiencing a setback in the last MP general Elections 2014 with a number of 46 MP’s only and also in the last general states assembly elections.
“People already knew that the era of Congress is gone and the general public feels that BJP Party is the only alternative now. If we go now by the number of state in the country out of 29 states, BJP and its allies has got 18 States, 15 BJP and 5 with allies,” he added.
Asking the Congress not to underestimate the BJP, John said, “You (Congress) will be surprised to see what we will do in this general election.It is for sure that there will be a BJP led Government in 2018. BJP ideology is “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas.”
On Ronnie’s claim that “No leaders of the congress have ever met religious leaders to discuss politics”, the BJP leader said that the state leadership is willing to offer unrestricted assistance on the provision of the Constitution of India as far as religious apprehension is concerned.
He also said that the party further recommends legislators of the State for a refresher’s course on inferences of the Constitution of India.
According to him, the provisions relating to “Right of Freedom of Religion” of the Articles 25 & 28 of the Constitution of India make India a secular state. To make assurance doubly sure, the 42nd amendment of the constitution inserts the term “secular” in the preamble of the constitution.
With regard to Ronnie’s allegations that the BJP desire to saffronise the country, he said the state leadership would like to remind the legislator as for Goa, a former Portuguese colony, the election turned out a little surprising.
“Despite fear that Christians here would see their once decisive political edge nose-dive, the Indian coastal state elected the highest number of Christian Lawmakers since state polls were first held in 1963,” he said.
He said that seven of the 13 BJP members elected are Christians and for the first time in the state, they out-number other religious denomination.
Never in the history of the State where Church Leaders are involved in electioneering for any political party but only wishes that honest and corruption-free public representative are elected irrespective of party’s affiliation, he added.
“Hence, the BJP as a political Party has no intention to patronise hidden agendas as alleged by the legislator,” he said.
By Our Reporter
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