The Bhartiya Janata Party has slammed the Conrad Sangma government in Meghalaya for denying permission for holding a rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the PA Sangma Sports Complex in the Tura district of the state, considered CM Sangma’s stronghold. On Tuesday, the BJP’s state unit hit out at the state government and said that the “people will forever loathe the CM for this decision”.
“The Director of Sports and Youth Affairs, under direct instructions from a very scared and insecure chief minister, Conrad Sangma, denied us permission to hold a campaign rally at the P.A. Sangma stadium,” BJP leader and the party’s spokesperson in the state, Bernard N Marak, said on Tuesday. He said that it was sad and unfortunate that a sitting Prime Minister was prevented from meeting fellow citizens.
“The fear of losing the (February 27 Assembly) elections is haunting Conrad Sangma and has driven him crazy. The people of Garo Hills will forever loathe the CM for this decision of his,” Marak said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Meghalaya on February 24 ahead of the assembly elections to be held later this month.
Meghalaya Government denies permission for PM Modi’s rally
The BJP had planned to hold a PM Modi mega rally at Tura on February 24. Significantly, Tura, which is part of the Garo Hills, is deemed Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s bastion.
The BJP, however, said that the state government had denied permission to organize the rally at Tura’s PA Sangma Stadium saying that it was still under construction.
Speaking to ANI, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary Rituraj Sinha said on Sunday, “We requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a roadshow in Shillong and a public rally in Tura, Garo hills. We sought permission for a rally in PA Sangma stadium but we were surprised when told that the stadium is under construction and not ready. So they sent a letter that PM’s rally could not be held there. The entire country and the people of Meghalaya know that PA Sangma stadium was inaugurated by CM Conrad Sangma on December 16 itself in a grand manner.”
The BJP leader further added that the National People’s Party (NPP) and other parties have sensed a “Modi wave in Meghalaya” and therefore they are deliberately trying to stop PM Modi’s rally in the state.
“The stadium which was ready on December 16, how come it is under construction again in February? Why it is not available for the PM’s rally? The reason is political. It seems that opposition parties like NPP, TMC, and Congress are scared of the Modi wave here. The people of Meghalaya want a BJP government like other northeastern states,” he added.
Notably, the election for the 60 members of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is slated to take place on February 27, 2023. The counting of votes will be conducted on March 2.