SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has strongly refuted allegations connecting him to an alleged drug kingpin on Tuesday.
Dismissing the allegation as baseless, the NPP National President said that the speculative assumptions have been drawn from a mere photograph and “that’s illogical”.
In a press conference after the Assembly session, Sangma highlighted the fact that public figures often interact with numerous people and that involves taking photos.
“I believe it’s utterly illogical to draw conclusions about two individuals’ activities based solely on a photograph,” he told the press, stating that allegations should be based on evidence and proof rather than assumption. He also claimed to be unaware of the activities in question.
Expressed disappointment that a single photograph was being used to insinuate his involvement in any wrongdoing, he added, “If there were any substantial allegations, they would have surfaced publicly and become a major issue. If this is the case, I might have to refrain from taking photos with the public and attending public events.”
The controversy ignited when Mukul Sangma, the Trinamool TMC Parliamentary Party Chief, made startling allegations during the second day of the Assembly session. He asserted that the Chief Minister was intimately linked to a suspected drug kingpin hailing from Mizoram. Additionally, he accused the Chief Minister’s office of actively enabling the kingpin’s involvement in a prestigious event held in New Delhi.
Citing a news report regarding the arrest of a commerce graduate from Mizoram with banned tablets allegedly connected to a Congress MLA’s son, Henry Lalremsanga, he said, “What troubles me even more is the discovery of another crucial piece of information, which revealed that the alleged drug kingpin is none other than a close associate of our Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma.”
The TMC leader also showed a picture of the Chief Minister sitting with his wife and Henry at the high-profile event in New Delhi, claiming that Henry’s seating arrangement was requested by the chief minister’s office.
