Mukul reaches out to Lapang, cabinet colleagues CLP meet not convened
SHILLONG: Several dissidents have decided to skip the meeting to be chaired by the new AICC general secretary in-charge Meghalaya CP Joshi on Tuesday at Congress Bhawan since Joshi would not be holding one-to-one meeting with them to address the key issue of demand for change of leadership.
As per schedule, Joshi will address the gathering of the MPCC office bearers, MP, MLAs, MDCs, district and block functionaries and heads of departments of the party at Congress Bhawan at 11 am on Tuesday.
Later, at 2 pm, Joshi will hold separate interactions with the same group before he leaves Shillong at 5.30 pm.
On the eve of the meeting, the party sources said that those legislators who have decided not to attend the meeting include PN Syiem, Comingone Ymbon, Kennedy C Khriem, Celestine Lyngdoh, and Ronnie Lyngdoh.
According to sources, Kennedy who is the CLP secretary and others are already out of station.
Since no notice for CLP meeting was issued for Tuesday, the issue of solving the leadership issue in CLP will not be a reality, and hence the issue will still linger on, sources added.
Soon after the arrival of Joshi accompanied by Assam Congress legislator Rockybul Hussain on Monday night at Hotel Pinewood, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, MPCC president DD Lapang, Cabinet Ministers Prestone Tynsong, Sniawbhalang Dhar, Deborah Marak, Zenith Sangma, Roshan Warjri and former Congress legislator Abdus Saleh met the AICC leader.
Sources, however, said that there is growing frustration among the dissidents that the AICC leader’s visit will be a routine exercise without addressing the core issue which is the demand for change of leadership.
“We had seen in the past that after the erstwhile AICC leader in charge Meghalaya V. Narayanasamy assessed the political situation in the state, there was no favourable outcome”, a dissident legislator said. In a new development, the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had met the MPCC president DD Lapang on Sunday night seeking his support to work together and to ensure unity in the party.
Party sources said that the Chief Minister also met some of the ministers to ensure their support to him till the end of the term.
Earlier in the day, the MPCC president DD Lapang told reporters that as the state party chief, he does not wish to be projected as the leader of the dissident group.
“As MPCC president I want to be neutral and hence I do not want to come to the forefront”, he said. He, however, did not deny the demand for change of leadership from several Congress legislators.