SHILLONG: The much-talked about dissidence within the State Congress is now a thing of the past, said Health Minister AL Hek.
Hek said former Chief Minister DD Lapang, who openly expressed his displeasure over the style of functioning of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, has stopped raising the issue.
“I agree that earlier there was dissidence and Lapang was vocal but now it has subdued,” Hek, who is known to be close to the Chief Minister, said while speaking to reporters here on Wednesday.
Asked about the differences within the Congress, Hek pointed that varied points of view were bound to surface in a family whether big or small, “but the problems are always solved amicably.”
To a query whether there is any move on the part of the Congress to effect a split, Hek said, “Congress is a united family. I have not heard anything in this regard”.
Hek, a former BJP leader, joined Congress in July, 2009 and subsequently he was accommodated in the Congress-led ministry.
To a question whether he regrets leaving BJP to join Congress in the context of BJP coming back to power at the Centre, Hek did not give any direct reply, but only said, “I am with the Congress now.”
He also brought a parallelism between the BJP and the Congress as far as his stand on the both parties are concerned by saying that while his political birth was with the BJP, he is still a Congress man.
Hek said, “Though I am married to the Congress, Is there any problem to meet my parents since my political birth was with the BJP. I think, there is no need for a divorce to meet the parents”
According to him, BJP is not untouchable though some Congress quarters view the party in that line.
Hek also made it clear that his recent meetings with the BJP leaders in Delhi were official engagements as they were central ministers. “The party affairs did not find place during those meetings,” he added.
To a query on whether he will re-join BJP if his supporters desired so, the BJP leader said, “I am the leader and I’ll lead the people”.
Appreciation for Modi: Hek also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the good works being carried out by the latter. Hek said, “Modi’s clean India campaign is a welcome step though Meghalaya had also launched green and clean Meghalaya campaign in the past.”