SHILLONG: The Opposition has ridiculed the claims of BJP, NPP and UDP- all partners in the MDA government that some Congress MLAs may shift over to their parties soon.
Talking to media persons here on Saturday, Congress MLA and Opposition Chief Whip, PT Sawkmie said Congress stands unthreatened with the claims of the different coalition partners of the ruling that a few of the congress MLAs are ready to merge with them. “These claims are nothing more than a political ploy of the ruling MDA to shake congress in Meghalaya,” he said.
Amid claims by the UDP, NPP and now the BJP that some from the 19 Congress MLAs are willing to join them, Sawkmie said the Congress MLAs are intact and the claim of the different coalition partners is nothing more than a ploy to shake the congress from within and break them.
On the recent claims of BJP legislator AL Hek that a few MLAs have approached him to merge with them, Sawkmie said that the Congress MLAs are wise enough to decide as joining the BJP in Meghalaya means the end of their political career. He said the ideologies of the BJP are not accepted by the people of the state and that it will take the BJP many more years to get more MLAs in the state.
Making it clear that the Congress is not in a hurry to make any move towards government formation, Sawkmie said that it is only one and a half years of the ruling and the Congress is waiting for the opportune moment to join hands with other parties to form the government.
In the House of 60, the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government consists of NPP 21, UDP 7, two independents supporting UDP, PDF 4, HSPDP 2, BJP 2, NCP 1 and independent Lambor Malngiang. The opposition Congress has 19 MLAs besides the lone KHNAM member.