Shillong/Tura, Aug 31: After Congress state president Vincent Pala raised eyebrows with his claims against Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s NPP party alleging the use of illegal drugs and coal money, the new Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma on Friday joined the opposition ranks threatening to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek action into the allegations.
Mukul Sangma took on the ruling NPP after deputy chief minister and NPP state president Prestone Tynsong had dared his Trinamool Congress (TMC), a day earlier, to file an FIR on the allegations made by the Congress that the ruling NPP is using illegal money to poach MLAs from other political parties.
The allegations against the NPP of using illegal money collected from drugs, coal mining and contract works to finish off other political parties was first brought out by Vincent Pala on August 16.
“I have to write to the Prime Minister that these are the allegations and please take cognizance and take action,” the leader of the opposition said, adding “Yes, I will wait and see if they don’t do then that is the ultimate course of action which will be something I consider as my responsibility.”
He said that the Centre needs to take cognizance of the allegations, Because the issue of illegal coal mining is not a state subject, and any violation of law under the section 21 of MMDR Act, 1957 is a cognizable offence.
“Also if you are talking about allegations of money coming from illegal drugs cartel, then you got to very careful, you are witness to the number of news items being carried by the media over instances of huge quantity of drugs being seized of and on across the North East, the value of which are in astronomical figures, not just Rs 1-2 crores, Rs 5 lakhs or Rs 10 lakhs, it is Rs 100-400 crores, that means a big cartel is operating on these and if such big cartel are operating in NE, this criminality is not confined in NE, therefore government of India have to take cognizance of this huge allegations,” he added.
He cautioned that such serious allegations cannot come about from thin air and those (Pala) who brought it up need to proceed further.
“One is on illegal money allegedly coming from drugs, another one is alleged money coming from illegal mining and another one manipulation of contract works,” he said.
He also clarified that although this wasn’t an issue raised by his own TMC, but by the Congress against the NPP, yet, the allegations were serious. “They (NPP) have to prove that the allegations are false. They have to prove that the allegations coming from the president of the MPCC, the ex-MP, Vincent H Pala is wrong. They have to prove that or otherwise confront him and prove him wrong. That is how the interpretation of law will be. I won’t get trapped by his (Tynsong) rhetoric. It is their responsibility to prove that the allegations coming from none other than the president of MPCC is false, that’s their job.”
