Tough time ahead for Mukul
SHILLONG: Troubled days are ahead of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma who could not make his presence felt in his stronghold Garo Hills as his candidate Daryl Momin lost to NPP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma.
Another setback for the Chief Minister is the win of Congress MP Vincent Pala as a section of Congress leaders allegedly supported by the Chief Minister and the MPCC President D D Lapang had campaigned against Pala.
The worrying factor for Mukul Sangma and Congress legislators would be the active presence of PA Sangma after his victory as the toppling game is likely to return.
PA Sangma and state regional parties had earlier raised the issue of alleged nexus of the Chief Minister with Garo militant outfits and demanded CBI inquiry into the matter.
With the NDA back in power, the issue will be pursued by the non-Congress parties, sources said.
Another irritant for the Chief Minister is the issue of his ST status which is pending before the Supreme Court and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
The stand of not extending support to Pala during the Lok Sabha polls on the part of some Congress functionaries was in reaction to Pala’s alleged interference during the Assembly polls held last year.
The Chief Minister never campaigned for Pala in Shillong, citing busy campaign schedule in Tura as the reason.
The State Congress leadership did not expect Pala to win as its internal report sent to the AICC soon after the polls on April 9 had said that independent candidate Rev. PBM Basaiawmoit will register a win against Pala.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that the Congress suffered from anti-incumbency and a bad economic phase which led to inflation across the country.
Sangma while congratulating BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on the party’s sweeping success in the Lok Sabha election said that his party accepts the defeat.
He hoped the new government at the Centre would deliver and live up to the expectations of billions of people in the country while hoping that Narendra Modi will be generous to the people of North East and Meghalaya.
MPCC working president and cabinet minister Deborah Marak said that though the party lost in Tura, Congress was happy that it secured Shillong seat.
Asked what went wrong in Tura despite the aggressive campaign of the Chief Minister, Congress legislators and the independents supporting the Congress led MUA Government, Deborah said the party had to accept people’s mandate. “There is no specific reason for the defeat in Tura though many of us campaigned. But we accept people’s verdict”.
Deborah refused to comment to a question of rebellion in the Congress against Pala which led to the reduction in his victory margin.
She was also tightlipped when asked about the possible fallout of the election results for the State Congress and the MUA coalition government.
Congress has 29 legislators on its own and the MUA-II coalition is supported by two NCP members and eleven Independents.
Our Spl Correspondent from New Delhi adds: In the face of the worst ever performance of the party in a Lok Sabha election, Congress Chief Ministers from different parts of the country including Dr Mukul Sangma from Meghalaya are arriving in Delhi by Saturday to meet top party bigwigs, including party president Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi who led the poll campaign.
The mother-son due have accepted responsibility for the humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections but made it clear the party would continue to fight for social harmony and issues of national interest. Making a brief appearance before the media at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi without taking any questions, the two congratulated the new government and wished them all the best.