Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills saying that the ‘arrogance’ of the saffron party was such that they tried to buy the churches of the State by offering crores of money but “miserably failed”.
To boost party’s campaign for the February 27 Meghalaya polls, Congress president Gandhi addressed an election rally in Garobadha of West Garo Hills along with Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and All India Congress Committee (ICC) General Secretary CP Joshi.
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Alleging that the BJP has used money power ahead of the polls, Gandhi said, “I know that the BJP has bought many MLAs, MPs and leaders in Meghalaya. They have even bought some of my party members too. But now in their arrogance they think they can buy God. Are the Khasis, the Garos, the Jaintias, Rabhas and other tribal groups here to be bought? NO.”
While launching scathing attacking on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for its unfulfilled promises made before the people of the country, the Congress chief said, “Four years ago, the people of India reposed their faith on Modi ji and the BJP because of their grand promises. But as the government enters the fag end of its tenure it has become clear that instead of giving hope, security and economic growth, they have dealt us with only hopelessness, unemployment, fear, hatred and violence.”
Bringing up the recent Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam which continues to make headlines, Gandhi also claimed that with the Nirav Modi and Vijay Malya scandals, it is now clear that the Modi-led government “could not remove corruption but only actively participating in it”.
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“I know they (BJP) have lots of money, as some of the richest Indians, including perhaps those who have run away with money stolen from Indian banks, are their supporters,” he claimed.
In the campaign, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma also criticised Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was in the hill State a day before for campaigning for BJP candidates.
Rajnath Singh had blamed the ruling Congress for the killing of NCP’s Williamnagar candidate Jonathone N Sangma and claimed that “the government led by Mukul Sangma is not at all serious about the law and order situation in the State”.
“Yesterday the honorable Home Minister of this great nation came and criticized the State government saying that there is lawlessness in the State. He has tried to shrug off his own responsibility by passing it on to State government. In respect of fighting the anti-nationals, in respect of fighting the militants and terrorist organizations, he has forgotten that it is the job of the Government of India that the Ministry of Home is responsible to take care of the international borders through which all sophisticated arms have been smuggled by the militant outfits and this particular attitude of the Home Minister of this nation does not order well for this nation,” said Chief Minister Sangma.
Chief Minister Sangma also claimed that the Union government instead of cooperating in the tacking insurgency in Meghalaya, “tactfully withdrawing the security forces from the region”.
The election rally was attended by over 5000 people.