SHILLONG, Nov 15: Opposition Congress has questioned the credibility of the National People’s Party (NPP) for legislators from the grand old party to join it, citing that the convener of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), of which NPP is a member, had openly called the ruling party a “political non-entity.”
“I don’t mean any bad intention for any political party, but the recent comments of Himanta Biswa Sarma who was campaigning in Manipur ahead of the by-elections came as a bolt from the blue. I thought he (Sarma) was the convener of the NEDA, and NPP the second largest partner, and he suddenly says that NPP is no one,” senior Congress leader and Nongthymmai MLA, Charles Pyngrope said, adding “why would anyone like to join a party which is nothing.”
The senior Congress leader said this while replying to a query on reports predicting an exodus of Congress MLAs to NPP, ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in the state.
“Regarding the exodus there is no such move, but if a group of politicians belonging to any particular political party feels the need to go to another party, we cannot stop that,” he said.
The senior Congress leader, however said, “I have in fact neither heard nor has anyone discussed with me in the last one year the intentions (of MLAs) to leave the party. In fact, they want the party to be strengthened further and that is why there is a demand for a new president in the first place”.
“Had they not had that kind of a feeling why would they ask for a president…they would have allowed the party to disintegrate,” he observed.
Referring to reports, Pyngrope said, “It is easy to make declarations in public but as a senior Congress leader I feel there will be no exodus. I am confident and we need to consolidate our party even further”.
On reports of factionalism in the state Congress with Shillong MP, Vincent Pala leading one group, and Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma heading another, Pyngrope said, “There is no rift and faction. It is just that our region is divided into many parts like the Garo Hills region and the Khasi and Jaintia Hills regions and both of them are popular in their respective areas”.
Explaining further, he said, “There is no division on the lines of factions and it is only that while it is easier for Pala to move around here, it is the same for Mukul to do so in the Garo Hills region.”