Meghalaya polls: Rajnath Singh takes a dig at Mukul Sangma, says 'husband-wife' govt neglected health

Songsak/Tura: Meghalaya’s “bura-buri” government has failed to address health care concerns of the people, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, using the Garo term for ‘husband-wife’ to refer to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and his minister wife. Addressing rallies in the Garo Hills ahead of Assembly elections on 27 February, Rajnath attacked the Congress-led government on a range of issues, including healthcare and law and order. Rooting for the BJP in the North East state, he said the party would make Meghalaya the “Scotland of the East” if elected to power. [caption id=“attachment_4336221” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Home Minister Rajnath Singh. PTI[/caption] It was painful to see that people from Meghalaya were forced to go to Bangladesh for treatment, Rajnath said in his rallies in Songsak in East Garo Hills and Tura in West Garo Hills. The senior BJP leader, who started and ended his speeches in the local language, said his party would ensure proper health facilities throughout the state if it came to power. “I have been told that patients from here were taken to Bangladesh for treatment on a ‘charpoy’. This is very painful,” he said. Taking on the Congress-led government, he said it was unfortunate that there was no health infrastructure despite the chief minister being a doctor. Rajnath pointed out that the BJP government at the Centre had announced a health insurance scheme to provide free treatment up to Rs five lakh. “The BJP will completely transform health care in the state if it comes to power,” he said. He also said the party would convert the Shillong hospital into a research institute and open a cancer hospital in the state. Referring to the law and order situation, the Union minister said there are 57 police stations. Of these, only 39 are active. “How can you expect proper law and order in the state in such a scenario. Who is responsible?” he asked. State government employees, he added, were getting Fifth Pay Commission salaries but the BJP would ensure that they would be at par with other states if voted to power.