Shillong: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on February 13 said militancy in Meghalaya has taken advantage of the unstable government provided by the regional parties in the state.

"It is the regional parties who are responsible for the unstable governments in Meghalaya for the last five years and as a result there was no peace, progress and development," she said.

Only Congress could provide stable government, she told a public rally at the Jawaharlal Nehru sports complex in Shillong and urged the people to cast vote in favour of it during the February 26 Assembly polls.

The crowd at the well-attended rally waited patiently for over three hours braving the cold weather to hear Gandhi, who was attired in the Khasi traditional dress 'jainsem.'

Gandhi alleged that the state was now being neglected by the Centre and could become the hub of Information Technology of the North Eastern states. Also, the Central and state governments did not give any attention to animal husbandry and if her party came to power the various problems faced by the state, including unemployment would be addressed.

Congress, she said, had never betrayed the trust of the people and if voted to power in Meghalaya and in the Centre, relationship with the neighbouring countries would be improved for the state's economic development.

The state's vulnerability to external threat would also be taken seriously and proper action taken, she said.

PTI