BJP releases 'chargesheet' against Congress ministers in Meghalaya ahead of 27 February elections

Shillong: The BJP in poll-bound Meghalaya on Thursday released a “chargesheet” highlighting corruption and sex racket cases against some incumbent Congress ministers in the state. The 38-page chargesheet naming three ministers and two others was released by BJP election in-charge for Meghalaya and Union tourism minister K J Alphons with an aim to corner the ruling Congress ahead of the 27 February elections. [caption id=“attachment_4333929” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] A copy of the chargesheet released before mediapersons here was made available to scribes. The document was named as chargesheet, a legal terminology to lend credence to the allegations. It alleged that Cabinet minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, who was the education minister at the time when the education scam took place in 2009-10, was also named in the police recruitment scam in both cases many undeserving candidates were recruited. Ampareen Lyngdoh is PWD minister at present. Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh was made accused in the sex racket involving a 14-year-old minor where she was allegedly raped and molested several times at a guest house owned by the minister’s son in 2016, the BJP chargesheet highlighted. While another MLA Julius Dorphang was charged under POCSO and jailed since last year, the chargesheet stated. Another Congress leader and former MLA Stanleywiss Rymbai was charged for his involvement in a land scam in 2012 where an amount of Rs 8 crore was released to him after he claimed to be the rightful representative of the village without any authorisation. “The Congress government in Meghalaya has resorted to favouritism in the tendering process for supply of sugar in the state leaving a loss of Rs 2.7 crore every month to the state’s exchequer,” the BJP chargesheet said, accusing Civil Supplies Minister Clement R Marak of being involved in the 2016 sugar scam. The cases highlighted by the BJP’s document are pending with varied courts. The BJP chargesheet also accused the Congress, which has been in power six times since the Meghalaya’s inception in 1972, for making the state “a mess” due to the corrupt and inefficient governments. Giving a status report of the Congress’ 2013 manifesto, the Union minister said all the promises made by the Congress including the promise of 10,000 jobs to the youths and 10,000 jobs for women were also marked “undelivered”. All the 28 poll-promises the Congress made in the last five years have failed to materialise leaving the people cold and dry, Alphons said. Although the BJP did not name anyone in other scams, the BJP listed the 2016 sericulture scam, the 2012 supplementary nutrition scam, land allotment scam in New Shillong and the PHE scam as those that the Congress governments have been involved with. BJP is making a serious bid to trounce Congress in Meghalaya elections later this month. The National People’s Party (NPP) is also preparing a similar charge against the Congress, which is facing desertions of senior leaders of the party and is also fighting incumbency after being in power for almost 15 years.