SHILLONG, Sept 5 - Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, after being sworn in as a member of the State Assembly by Speaker Donkupar Roy here today, called the Congress party �frustrated� because things are not going its way.
Sangma�s NPP-led coalition Government will complete six months in office on Thursday.
Reacting to the statement made by the national spokesperson of the Congress, Gaurav Gogoi, asking the NPP-led Government to sever ties with the BJP and start delivering on its promises, the Chief Minister said the Congress is speaking out of frustration as development is taking place and it has nothing else to say on that front against the Government.
�So they come up with such random statements. Giving statements not based on facts is meaningless. It is a reflection of their frustration,� Sangma said.
He said that �despite the financial challenges�, the State is moving in the right direction. �We are committed and our Government is moving ahead,� he maintained.
Stating that all the legislators took time to settle down in the past six months, the Chief Minister said the ministers are now totally focused on their jobs. �The Government is implementing programmes and policies,� he said.
Stating that the present Government has been able to achieve a lot in a short span of time, Sangma said the MDA Government has been able to convince the Centre to release more funds for different departments.
�This year the sanctions for many departments have been the highest for our State, be it the PMGSY, PMAY and pending bills. We are getting a lot of positive response and therefore, I think before making such statements, the Congress should do their homework and check facts,� Sangma said.
He added that 10 to 12 meetings have been held with different departments of the Centre so that the ban on coal mining can be lifted. Sangma said he has personally met several Union ministers, including the Home, Forest and Mining ministers and progress has been made during these discussions.
�We are trying to get exemption for Meghalaya under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution from Central legislations so that mining can resume, but this resumption will not be at the cost of the environment or miners� safety,� the Chief Minister stated.
