From Our Special Correspondent
Cong old warhorses yet to get audience with Sonia, meet Ambika Soni
NEW DELHI: Two Congress veterans Salseng Marak and DD Lapang, who did not get an audience with Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, have decided to stay back in the national capital till they get an appointment with the Congress president to put forward their demand – change of guard in Meghalaya.
The duo, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday, however, met AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni, who is attached to the party president, on Tuesday. Both are likely to get an appointment with Gandhi on Wednesday. Gandhi was very busy on Tuesday with pre-scheduled engagements so she could not meet the duo, AICC sources said.
The state veterans are expected to raise the brewing resentment of the legislators against Chief Minister and the worsening law and order situation in the State particularly in Garo Hills. There seems to be a deep division within the party ever since the last Lok Sabha polls and some of the legislators are stated to be desperate for a remedial action.
When contacted by The Shillong Times the veterans refused to divulge any details. “We will speak only after meeting the party president,” Lapang quipped.
The dissident leaders led by Lapang, recently met with the Congress president and vice president Rahu Gandhi in Delhi which strengthened the cause of the dissidents. During the meeting, the state leaders had apprised the High Command about the state of affairs of the party and disgruntlement of the legislators over the style of functioning of the Chief Minister especially on the “failure” of the Government in containing law and order situation in Garo Hills. The dissidents got further boost from unexpected quarter since the low profile leader SC Marak offering to help them to find a solution to their demand for a change of leadership and Shillong M.P. Vincent H Pala extending his support too.
It was only Marak who could complete a full term in Meghalaya in recent memory as Chief Minister.