By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: NCP MP Agatha Sangma will campaign for the newly-formed Nationalist People’s Party (NPP) during the upcoming Assembly elections.
Disclosing this, former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, the architect of NPP in Meghalaya, told reporters on Thursday that while he would be the chief campaigner of the party, her daughter Agatha, tribal leader Arvind Netam from Chattisgarh, sitting MP Dr Kirori Lal Meena from Rajasthan and Sasidhar from Andhra Pradesh, the State president of NPP WR Kharluki, and leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Conrad Sangma will be other prominent campaigners for the party.
The decision in this regard was taken during the meeting of the party leaders and candidates held at the party office here.
Asked whether Agatha will face disqualification if campaigns for the NPP, the senior Sangma said the issue of disqualification arises only when a member voluntarily gives up the membership and also when a member defies the party whip while voting on crucial matters.
The NPP leader further said, “Agatha will not join NPP not because she likes NCP. If she reigns, there will be a by-election and a year later, the general elections will also be held. In the heart of hearts she is in NPP”.
Dropping Agatha: The NPP leader also said that there was no need for NCP to recommend to the Prime Minister to drop Agatha.
“As soon as I became an official candidate to contest the Presidential election, she had already sent the resignation letter to the Prime Minister and the NCP chief Sharad Pawar and it was accepted only three months later”, Sangma added.
According to him, being a minister of state Agatha did not have much work to do and now she will be more active in the Parliament.