By Our Reporter
Shillong: The Meghalaya Unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has refuted reports that the party would meet on Monday to decide on whether to stay in the NCP or to resign and form a new party.
Brushing aside the reports on Sunday, party sources said these are only speculations and the Monday meeting is to discuss the future plans of the party in the State. It is learnt that that former Lok Sabha Speaker and former senior NCP member Purno Sangma would also be present at the meet.
The meeting gains importance as it comes after Purno Sangma suffered a defeat at the recently held Presidential polls. The NCP in Meghalaya, sources say, is all set to discuss the next course of action for the party in Meghalaya and Sangma is expected to provide a direction on its new role following his resignation from the party.
“Purno Sangma will address legislators, District Council members and party workers on the next course of action to be taken by the party in the State”, the source added. It may be recalled that Sangma had resigned from the NCP and also resigned as MLA thereby giving up his Tura Assembly seat to contest the Presidential election as an independent candidate supported by the NDA.
The Meghalaya unit of the NCP is unhappy with national president Sharad Pawar for not extending his support to Sangma in the presidential polls and for supporting the UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee who is now the President.
Meanwhile, sources close to the NCP here have also refuted reports that Sangma is contemplating a major move to chart out a new course for the State NCP which will be more tribal centric.
However, reports say that a new political party is in the offing. Expected to be called the National Indigenous Peoples’ Party, its formation could take place as early as the middle of August. The party is expected to bank on the support of several million tribals in the country. Sangma could be going the Mayawati way. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is based purely on caste politics. It is learnt that Sangma is planning to mobilise tribal political consciousness along the BSP model.