The chief minister claimed that the accusations of the BJP over ‘his influence’ in denial of permission to hold the rally at the PA Sangma Sports Complex are false.
Kolkata,UPDATED: Feb 20, 2023 21:47 IST
All permissions come from the side of Election Commission of India, Conrad Sangma said (File)
By Suryagni Roy: Ahead of the elections in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma denied having any role behind no permission given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in the state.
Sangma claimed that the accusations of the BJP over ‘his influence’ in denial of permission to hold a rally by the PM at the PA Sangma Sports Complex by the district administration of West Garo Hills district are false.
“All permissions come from the side of the Election Commission of India and based on its direction, the district administration took action. So there is no say from the NPP or my side. Dragging our name into it is completely wrong. Even I haven’t got permission for many of my rallies,” he said today.
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Such things happen during the elections but the BJP has made this into a big issue, he said.
“But we have already said at the beginning that the stadium has two parts. The first part consists of the football stadium, which is ready and has been inaugurated. The other part, which has an indoor stadium and a swimming pool, is not ready and we have made it clear. Only half of it is ready,” the chief minister said.
On the possible reasons for the rally not getting permission, Sangma said, “It is a fact that when PM Modi holds a programme, the crowd will be huge. So, I feel that the district administration may have felt that, since it is a natural turf, and if many people come, it will damage the natural turf and also there is no parking there.”
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