Congress to retain power, BJP no delivery record: Tharoor

SHILLONG, FEB 23: Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor today expressed confidence that the party will come back to power in Meghalaya as he claims that the BJP has no “record of delivery” nationally.

“I believe that the Congres is in with a very good chance. The present government in Meghalaya is that it actually got performance to point to and it can turn to the voters and say reward our performance,” Tharoor told journalists here on Friday.

The ruling Congress is only party which is fielding candidates in all the sixth seats for the February 27 Assembly elections.

Downplaying the BJP’s aggressive campaigning to woo voters in Meghalaya, Tharoor however said the vigorous efforts by the BJP with the backing of the resources by the Centre will not work as money alone can’t buy votes.

Accusing the Narendra Modi government at the centre for failing to deliver, he said, “The BJP’s biggest weakness is that they have no record of delivery to point to as they have not delivered.”

“They (BJP) have not delivered nationally; they have not delivered in Rajasthan and also in the places where they are in power, what make the people here suddenly believe that somehow in Meghalaya they will deliver when they have not done anywhere else.”

The Chairman of the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) also said that the people of Meghalaya look across the border in Assam and see whether the promises made has been fulfilled because the BJP is not a party that is interested in anything else other than power.

“It is not a party that is interested in the well being and welfare of the people,” he added while reminding the BJP that to win election it needs to convince the people of Meghalaya that it can deliver.

Hailing the Mukul Sangma-led government for looking at specific welfare schemes and measures that have benefited the ordinary people, Tharoor said, “The bottom line for the voters must be and my request is that since there is absolutely no evidence for the BJP or local parties, stay with the Congress, give them your trust and support, let them earn the mandate and complete the good work they have begun in these eight years.”

He said that the recod of the present state government for the last eight years has seen astonishing improvement in education where Meghalaya is second nationally not only in literacy, school enrolment but it is able to overcome discrimination and gender inequalities.

Claiming that women have been empowered, he said Meghalaya has also come ahead in term of female literacy in India and this attribute to the commitment of the government to fulfil the spirit the Right to Education Act initiated by the then UPA-led government.

With regards to the health sector, he said alleged that the BJP government in Delhi is trying to borrow from Meghalaya’s health insurance scheme by announcing a nationwide health insurance scheme.

“Meghalaya is again on the forefront but unlike here, the BJP did not have realistic numbers in fact they have no indication in the budget how they would finance the health insurance scheme,” he said.

He also compliment the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood programme of the Mukul Sangma-led government and said that Meghalaya has made a lot of progress to address livelihood when nationally the BJP has failed to provide livelihood to the people.

Terming the Social Audit law of the state government as remarkable, he said no other places in the country gives the public a right to audit the beneficiary of development schemes.

Admitting that it is a challenge for the incumbent government everytime it goes to seek a vote because anti-incumbency is always present, he however said but that is a game you must satisfy your voters and show your performance and justify your coming back.

Slamming the BJP-led government for failing spectacularly to achieve anything for the past three and a half year, he said but they claim that they are going to achieve something in Meghalaya by bringing an improvement on the achievements of the existing government.

He however asked what is the evidence for it when the only things that the Modi’s government can point to are achievements initiated by the then UPA whether it is direct benefit transfer, whether it is Aadhaar that they opposed when they were in the opposition, and then take it further that we wouldn’t have like to make it compulsory requirement that many Indians are troubled.

“What they have done is they have become a name changing government but a not a game changing government. Instead what they have initiated you have the demonetisation, bad idea and badly implemented and you have the GST good idea but badly implemented.”

Stating that bad implementation has been the key note and the hallmark of this government’s performance, he said, “How can they dare to come here and ask for votes when despite promising 2 crore jobs a year, none of them (youth) have jobs today.”

He also said housewives who used to pay 300 rupees for a cooking gas cylinder under UPA government is now forced to pay over Rs 700 because this government puts its fiscal deficit number ahead of the interest of low middle class public.

“What about the young man who takes his scooter to the petrol pump knowing that petrol and diesel have collapse around the world but here in India they keep going up, once again this government wants to fixed its number and don’t care about the welfare of the people,” he said.

“They are balancing their fiscal deficit by putting their hands into the pockets of the aam admi of the ordianary person in this country. What do you say when you come to Meghalaya promise good governance where is the evidence of good governance,” he added.

By Our Reporter

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