Former Meghalaya Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA Government for allegedly withdrawing funds under special plan assistance and entitlements meant for States in the Northeast.
Former Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma said that the action of the present Government at the Centre would push States in the region backward.
He, however, vowed that the special plan assistance extended by the Centre to the States would be revived next year since a non-BJP Government would be formed after the Lok Sabha elections.
Mukul Sangma pointed out that funds under special assistance earmarked for setting up of residential schools in Meghalaya were withdrawn after 2014.
“This has landed the State Government in a problem and could not push the projects as the state with limited resources has to find out ways to set up residential schools from its own resources,” Mukul Sangma said.
He recalled how State Governments in the country did not face this kind of a situation as it is today when the NDA Government was under the leadership of former Prime Minister, late Atal B Vajpayee.
“This NDA Government under Modi is insensitive towards the people of Meghalaya and the whole northeastern region,” Mukul Sangma alleged.
Mukul Sangma said that if the Vajpayee-led Government had realized the need to create the ministry of DoNER for Northeast what made Modi and his Government to feel that they are experts in knowing problems of the Northeast overnight by changing various policies and plans of the Government in the past including those formulated by the Vajpayee-led Government.
Stating that the Centre should give entitlements of the states in the Northeast, Mukul Sangma asked the State Government in Meghalaya to fight with the NDA Government and not to allow it to do whatever it wishes to do.
Former CM Mukul Sangma also questioned the BJP and Modi for withholding sanctions meant for various projects including those coming through the North Eastern Council.
“We will continue to inform the people about the wrong policies of the Modi-led government,” he said.
On claims made by Union Ministers that huge funds were sanctioned for various infrastructure including roads in the Northeast, Mukul hit back saying, they were good in providing figures related to budget allocation, but it is not a fact, when it comes to actual release of fund.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari also announced recently that Rs 1.9 lakh crore has been sanctioned for road projects in the Northeastern States.
Mukul Sangma, however, said, “There’s nothing new on this, and we will be happy if there are new projects.”
He also recalled that numerous road projects proposed to be executed in the Northeast have been approved and sanctioned under the SARDP (North East) during the UPA Government.