Shillong, Mar 20: United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate, Jemino Mawthoh has accused the Congress of “double speak” on various issues including the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB).

After filing his nomination papers as candidate of the UDP with the support of MDA partners from Shillong Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday, Mawthoh slammed the Congress on issues related to the Citizenship Amendment Bill and cow slaughter.

Defending the BJP, Mawthoh said, “Now you (Congress) blame the BJP, but you cannot doublespeak on these issues because what the BJP is doing, the Congress has also been doing for the last many years.”

Mawthoh also alleged that the Congress has also been taken up the CAB issue right from 1947 and during the tenure of then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

“He (Singh) had spoken about this in the Rajya Sabha about the support for the CAB so why are you saying only the BJP when the Congress is also doing the same. Why the Congress this time did not vehemently voice their opposition in Lok Sabha and even in Rajya Sabha. They just talk in the media because they want people’s support as elections are very near,” he said.

Mawthoh also stated that the issue related to cow slaughter was not started by the BJP but by the Congress which has given direction to many states to ban cow slaughter and at that time, the symbol of the Congress was the cow not the hand.

“Whether a Congress or BJP-led government at the centre, what important for legislators in the state, be it members of parliament, members of Assembly or District Councils is that, it is up to us to decide and make laws which are feasible and favorable for the people of the state. We need not wait for the CAB to come. We should not wait for the Centre to give us direction on what we need to do for our state as we know better the problems faced by the state and we should be given a chance to govern in a proper way,” Mawthoh said.

Slamming the Congress for its propaganda against the MDA government, the UDP leader alleged that the BJP and Congress were also working together in the district councils.

“We also know of instances where the BJP and Congress are working together in the district council in the state. How can you accuse us of working with the BJP all the time? Why don’t you talk about other issues which are important for the state?” he asked.

He also said that in an era of coalition, parties have to work together, but the UDP has never had any pre-poll alliance with the BJP.

Mawthoh exuded confidence that he would win as the parties in the MDA government have come together in this election, and the vote share of the UDP along with the NPP and other parties is more than the vote share of the Congress.