Faleiro arrives today • CLP meeting on agenda
SHILLONG: On the eve of the visit of AICC General Secretary in-charge Meghalaya Luizinho Faleiro, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has expressed confidence that the Congress-led Government will complete its full term.
“The good thing that the Congress has given to the people of the State is stability. I am sure that this time also the Congress-led Government will complete its full term,” Sangma told newsmen here on Thursday.
When asked if this present Government under his leadership will last the full term, the Chief Minister said that he had shown it in the past.
Sangma, however, did not elaborate on the matter.
On the media reports that he was going to drop the dissidents from the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said that he would not reply to any query ‘based on rumours’.
Sangma refused to comment on the demand for change of leadership by the dissident group saying “We are expected to resolve the differences within ourselves”.
Faleiro, who will arrive here on Friday morning, is expected to hold a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) to iron out the differences.
However, the CLP meeting is unlikely to discuss the issue of change of leadership.
Faleiro will also meet the MPCC functionaries, MDCs and party leaders.
The dissident group still insists that a senior central leader should be deputed by the AICC to assess the ground reality as the legislators are unhappy with the style of functioning of the Chief Minister.
The advantage which the dissident group now has is that its leaders including SC Marak, DD Lapang, HDR Lyngdoh and Prestone Tynsong have already met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Delhi and apprised her about the unhappiness of legislators who are not willing to work under the current leadership.
The dissidents got a boost when unexpectedly SC Marak joined the group and led senior members of the team to Delhi to meet the top AICC leaders.
Party sources said that though the dissidents may attend the CLP meeting, they consider that there would not be any last word on the issue of change of leadership in the meeting. Sources said that the dissidents want to now wait to hear from AICC President since their senior leaders have already met her.
Salseng clarifies: Meanwhile, former Chief Minister SC Marak has clarified that his statement where he requested AICC to send an impartial leader to Shillong was a general statement made without any reference to any AICC leader in particular.
He said that the expression made by Ronnie Lyngdoh regarding the impartiality of Luizinho Faleiro holds no water.
He said he has high regards for all the leaders and party workers.
Donkupar’s proposal hailed: Meanwhile, the vice-president of MPCC John Kharshiing has welcomed the statement of UDP president Dr. Donkupar Roy for an all-party government and added that the proposal must be taken forward.
In a statement, Kharshiing said that the Congress-led MUA should take up this matter, and “we welcome the suggestions of having all parties to support the Congress-led MUA”.
According to Kharshiing, all political parties have sincere and noble intentions of uplifting the people of the state. ” There may be differences during general elections, however, after elections all political parties must work together for ensuring speedy delivery of basic needs of the general public”, Kharshiing said.
Similarly, views of other parties such as the HSPDP, and NPP could also be sought, to support the Congress-led MUA, to have an all party government, in the interest of the people of the state, he added.
