Anti-Mukul group two short of magic number
SHILLONG: Negotiations are on by the dissidents to get the support of two Congress legislators who do not want to associate with them to effect a change of leadership.
The dissidents who now claim the support of 14 Congress legislators are hopeful of persuading two more legislators to make it 16. Congress has 30 MLAs in the 60-member House.
A Congress legislator said on Tuesday that the dissidents want to go slow and remain silent before achieving the target of majority number.
The slow approach is also due to the fact that they have to wait for the appointment of a new AICC leader in charge Meghalaya as the incumbent V. Narayanasamy has already been made Chief Minister of Puducherry .
Moreover, the Shillong MP Vincent Pala is yet to have a proper meeting with all the Congress legislators.
“As of now, we are short of the required number, but we are trying to get at least 16 and we already have 14,” a dissident legislator said.
He also said that the two legislators who are maintaining a distance are also not with the Chief Minister.
Asked whether the dissidents have given up their demand for change of leadership, the legislator said.” It is not a question of going back. There was some misunderstanding, and this will be sorted out”.
The legislator said that the dissidents are projecting the MPCC president DD Lapang as their new leader.
The contention of the dissidents is that since the Chief Minister lost the confidence of nearly three lakh people of Garo Hills in the just concluded by poll to Tura Lok Sabha seat, the Congress legislators should be wise enough to understand what is in store for them.
Laloo supports CM
In the ongoing demand for change of leadership, the Deputy Chief Minister RC Laloo wanted to keep a distance even as he asserted that he is with the Chief Minister. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Laloo said that he wanted to concentrate on his constituency and did not want to involve in the move for the demand for a change of leadership even though there was pressure from some quarters to join hands with them against the Chief Minister.