Congress attacks NPP on unemployment and BJP for fielding ‘POCSO accused candidate’

A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah described Meghalaya as the “most corrupt state”, Congress spokesperson Alka Lamba on Friday insisted “Meghalaya is not corrupt”.
“I want to tell Amit Shah Meghalaya is not corrupt. The government of Meghalaya which you are a member of is corrupt. We would like to ask Amit Shah the question which he has constantly been avoiding,” Lamba told reporters.
The BJP which has two legislators in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly is one of the constituents in the National People’s Party (NPP)-led government.
Attacking the BJP for its claim of a double-engine government, Lamba said, “They (BJP) are actually a double trouble government. The double trouble is unemployment and inflation.”
“People want a change. Congress has come back in Himachal. In my recent visit to Tripura after spending 7 days and attending dozens of meetings, people have asked for a change like Himachal,” the Congress spokesperson said, even as she exudes confidence that Congress is bouncing back to power in Meghalaya.
Stating that the NPP-led MDA government and their alliance partner BJP have a lot to answer to the people of Meghalaya on the high rates of unemployment, Lamba took a dig at the NPP and BJP manifesto for the upcoming Meghalaya Assembly polls.
“Both the NPP and BJP manifesto have promised jobs for the youth but what were they both doing during the last five years (in government). If they could not generate employment in the last five years as promised in their old manifesto, they will never be able to fulfil the promises made in the new manifesto,” she said.
Quoting the NITI Aayog Multidimensional Poverty Index, Lamba said, “Meghalaya is one of the poorest states in the country. It is ranked 5th poorest in the country and the poorest in the North Eastern part of the country.”
“The high rate of Multidimensional poverty reveals that the people of Meghalaya have remained poor because of a lack of employment which leads to a lack of purchasing power and therefor poverty,” she said.
Congress questions BJP on POCSO accused candidate
In a bid to corner arch rival BJP, the Congress on Friday hit out at the saffron party for providing party ticket to Meghalaya State party vice president and POCSO (Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences ) accused, Bernard Marak for the upcoming assembly polls to be held on February 27. “We would like to ask Amit Shah the question which he has constantly been avoiding. The women and children of Meghalaya want to know while you claim to protect women and talk about ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padao’ you have given a ticket to a man accused under POSCO,” Congress spokesperson, Alka Lamba told reporters here Friday.
“A man who has been known to run a brothel in Meghalaya and had run away to UP where he was caught and jailed. Instead of removing him from the party you have rewarded him with a ticket to contest from the BJP,” she said, without naming Bernard Marak. “Prime Minister has to answer this how can you claim to protect women when you bring such men who exploit women to represent the people of Meghalaya,” Lamba demanded.
“Modi, Shah, Irani are answerable to the people of Meghalaya, women of Meghalaya, to the girls of Meghalaya,” she asserted.
Marak, a former militant leader-turned member of Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, a constitutional body in Meghalaya, is contesting against Chief Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) candidate, Conrad Sangma in South Tura assembly constituency.
Marak was last year arrested and charged with immoral trafficking and running a brothel in his farmhouse at Tura and subsequently released.