By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Newly-elected MPCC president DD Lapang has slammed the UDP for betraying his party by forming a non-Congress Government after the 2008 election.
“The party (UDP) betrayed us soon after the 2008 election despite closely working with the Congress during the period from 2003 to 2007,” Lapang said at a function organised by the East Khasi Hills District Congress Committee (EKHDCC) to felicitate him on being elected as the new State party chief here on Monday.
He said that the UDP played a political game by trying to criticize the Congress months before the 2008 election.
“The UDP tried to find fault with the Congress and criticized us on policy matters despite being a part of the Government,” the MPCC chief said.
Recalling post-2008 poll scenario, Lapang said after the election, the party had approached the UDP to form a Government but they had out rightly rejected the offer.
The State party chief said that KHNAM and HSPDP accepted the offer to be part of the Government but laid several conditions before the Congress which had 25 MLAs.
“We were forced to accept the conditions laid by the two parties since our main aim was to form a Government. But the two parties (KHNAM and HSPDP) betrayed me a day before I was supposed to be sworn in as the Chief Minister,” Lapang said.
To teach the regional parties a lesson, Lapang said Congress should work hard to secure an absolute majority in 2013 election.
“Presently, we are having 28 MLAs. I would the party to win at least 32 seats in the next election,” he said.
He also urged the leaders of the party to work unitedly to achieve this goal.
