TURA, May 14 - Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) has gone into an overdrive after the go-ahead from the Election Commission for the distribution of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme (MGNREGS).
National People�s Party (NPP) candidate, Conrad K Sangma had questioned the timing of distribution of funds just prior to the elections.
The Central Government had earlier on April 7 released more than Rs 351 crore for the purpose of pending liabilities of all blocks in the 1st part of the first tranche and another Rs 71.68 crore as the 2nd part of the same tranche. A total of more than Rs 197 crore was earmarked for the Garo Hills region and was meant to be distributed just prior to the byelection.
Conrad had objected to the distribution of the money when Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force. Conrad complained to the Returning Officer who sought the advice of SRES on the issue which had okayed the distribution. Conrad had later raised the issue with the Election Commission of India (ECI), which on Thursday stated that the distribution was not against model code of conduct.
The decision of the ECI has suddenly spurred the Congress in the run up to the elections with the MPYC taking the lead by hailing the decision as a victory against Conrad�s �malicious attempt to mislead and misrepresent�.
�It looks like the web of lies made by Conrad is being disentangled. Firstly, the failure to release funds which he had cited as �misuse of funds� when he himself stopped it by citing the Model Code of Conduct. The ECI has okayed the release of the funds for wages,� said Richard Marak, president of MPYC in a release.
