BJP alleges Meghalaya Government of taking Rs 1500 crore loan to disburse among farmers ahead of polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused Meghalaya's National People's Party (NPP)-led government of obtaining a Rs 1500 crore loan to distribute to state farmers as part of an agricultural development scheme ahead of next year's assembly elections.

State BJP chief Ernest Mawrie also claimed that the NPP is attempting to persuade beneficiaries that it is the ruling party's programme.

The saffron party's accusations came three days after Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma distributed Rs 5,000 each to more than 53,000 farms in the state as part of the FOCUS+ scheme, which gives money to peasants who are part of a group of producers.

Attempts to reach government officials or senior party leaders for comment were unsuccessful.
Mawrie claimed that the Conrad Sangma government had borrowed more than Rs 1,500 crore from foreign investors in order to woo voters ahead of the elections.

The BJP leader claimed, without elaborating, that if the government took a loan to implement the FOCUS+ scheme, the beneficiaries would be required to repay it in the future, as had previously occurred in the state.
Mawrie suggested that the state government explain where the funds for this scheme came from.

"They (the NPP) are duping the people," he said. Party workers are going door to door asking for farmers' bank details in order to give them Rs 5,000. Why didn't they do it in at least 2-3 years if they really wanted to help people?
 

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