SHILLONG: Cabinet Minister and three-time Congress legislator Prestone Tynsong has taken exception to the party, especially its youth wing, the Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress, for projecting Chief Minister Mukul Sangma as the next leader after 2018 polls.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Tynsong said it is the Congress Legislature Party that will decide on the next leader after the Assembly polls.
He also said the State party leadership cannot take any decision on the matter as it was up to the AICC to project any leader as the chief ministerial candidate.
He, however, added that as far as Meghalaya is concerned, the party never projected anyone as the chief ministerial candidate in any of the past elections.
Earlier on Monday, in a statement issued to the media, youth Congress president Richard Marak said, “The people of Meghalaya have full faith in the Congress and the party will come back to power in 2018 and Mukul Sangma will continue as the chief minister.”
Marak was reacting to the comments of Assam Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma who had said there was least development in Meghalaya during the tenure of Sangma as the chief minister.
Later, in a statement issued on Sunday, MPCC president D.D Lapang also stood by the chief minister and praised his style of governance by stating that under his leadership, a lot of initiatives were carried out.
Party cautious on non-Cong govt
Asked whether the Congress will face the same problem of not being able to form the government even if it emerges as the single largest entity like Goa and Manipur, Tynsong said the party is cautious on the matter. “In this context, we will try hard to cross the magic number to form the government on our own,” Tynsong said.
To a question whether he will accept the proposal if BJP or any other party projects him as the chief ministerial candidate, Tynsong said his objective is to win the election and that other things do not arise.
