By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Dissidence among the dissidents has started just a day after the dissident group’s leader DD Lapang and the Chief Minister D Mukul Sangma reportedly promised to Sonia Gandhi to keep the Congress flock together till 2013 Assembly elections.
A few in the dissident group, who are not willing to leave their “fight” for a change of leadership midway, has blamed their leader Lapang for arbitrarily taking the decision and also revealed the possibility of projecting another leader of the group.
Talking to The Shillong Times here on Saturday, one of the dissident leaders, FW Momin said, “Our group has not authorised Lapang to arrive at such a solution. He has patched up at his personal level.”
Dr Mukul and Lapang had to bury the hatchet Friday when the Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi, during a meeting with the duo, had asked the warring factions to concentrate on the upcoming 2013 elections, spoiling the last hope of the dissidents.
A few among the dissidents, however, maintained that the fight is still on for a change of leadership.
“Lapang did not discuss with us anything about the meeting and a meeting was likely to take place on Monday to chalk out our strategy to oust Mukul Sangma,” Momin said.
With Lapang quitting the race, the MLA revealed, there is a possibility of Speaker Charles Pyngrope being projected as the new leader of the dissidents since another choice, Rowell Lyngdoh, is not interested to be the Chief Minister.
Earlier, Lapang, during his meeting with Sonia Gandhi, had pointed out that the party leaders cutting across factions want unity but something should be done to look after the interest of the four Cabinet ministers who were dropped recently.
The party president reportedly assured that interest of all concerned would be looked into once they work as one team.
Besides Mukul and Lapang, sacked minister, Prestone Tynsong, AICC leaders – Ahmed Patel (political secretary), Oscar Fernandes (CWC member), Dr Dhaniram Shandil (general secretary in-charge Meghalaya) and his deputy Sanjay Bapna were present in the meeting which was held to douse out the rift in the State Congress party.