SHILLONG, Jan 12: All India Congress Committee (AICC) Meghalaya in-charge, Manish Chatrath, on Tuesday asserted that the Congress does not believe in poaching or horse-trading.
After meeting several party MLAs, Members of District Councils, party workers and party’s state president in the past two days, he told journalists that the Congress is working towards organising itself in the state. He said the Congress is not approaching any of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) partners.
He slammed the state government for failing to fulfil its promise of lifting the ban on coal mining. He also attacked it over alleged illegal mining of coal and its transportation.
“People will decide their (MDA’s) fate but we believe the state is waiting for a change,” Chatrath said.
He said the Congress’s goal is to form the next government with two/third majority. According to him, the party’s assessment is that people in the state are fed up with the MDA for not fulfilling promises and hence, their mood is changing.
On reports that many Congress MLAs are looking to shift their allegiance to other parties, Chatrath asserted that there is no rumbling in the party and that the MLAs and the MDCs are united.
He also said that while leaving the Congress and joining other political parties is a personal decision of the MLAs, it is his duty is to make sure they do not jump ship. “Those who had to leave have already left and those who are in the party will stay,” he said.
On the BJP’s focus to wipe out the Congress from the Northeast, he claimed that the Congress is in a good position in the state and will return to power after the 2023 Assembly elections.
“The elections will be fought in a democratic way. We will form the government. We are not thinking too much into what the BJP is going to do,” he added.