Anti-party activities in Meghalaya Congress
SHILLONG: The AICC is in a dilemma since there are two views regarding the anti-party activities involving Shillong MP Vincent Pala, one before the 2013 Assembly elections and another prior to the Lok Sabha polls.
While Pala had allegedly campaigned against the official candidates of the party during the Assembly polls, the aggrieved party men campaigned against him during the Lok Sabha polls.
Due to the alleged interference in the state Assembly polls by Pala, many Congress candidates were defeated and Congress was unable to secure simple or absolute majority. The strength of Congress in the State Assembly stood at 29.
The act of some party men in campaigning against Pala was a sort of revenge as the Shillong MP interfered in the state polls without taking the party men into confidence.
Party sources said that during the recent meeting of MPCC president DD Lapang and the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma with the AICC leaders including AK Antony to review the result of Lok Sabha polls, the issue of Pala campaigning against the Congress candidates during the Assembly polls also figured.
According to party sources, since there were two views on the issue of anti-party activities, the AICC wanted the party to forget the past and to have unity.
However, it remains to be seen whether a section of Congress legislators who are now demanding action against Cabinet Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar for campaigning against Pala will be ready to compromise as now they are targeting the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma for failing to take action against Dhar and moreover, they had also criticized the Chief Minister for not campaigning for Pala.
The fear of some congress legislators is that the infighting in the Congress will lead to the defeat of party candidates in the next 2018 Assembly elections.