SHILLONG, Sep 8: Miffed by the remarks of state Congress chief Vincent H Pala against the United Democratic Party (UDP), an ally in the NPP-led MDA coalition, UDP Chief Adviser Bindo Mathew Lanong has counter-attacked the Congress stating that there are more rich businessmen in the Congress as compared to the regional parties.
The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president, Vincent Pala, had earlier stated that the UDP is slowly losing its ideology with the entry of corrupt and rich politicians and that veterans like Bindo Lanong and Jemino Mawthoh are slowly losing their face within the party.
Reacting strongly to the comment of the MPCC president, Lanong said that the former’s comment is totally wrong.
“We all know that the new MPCC president himself is one of the rich businessmen, who have joined active politics. The Congress has more businessmen in their fold due to the fact that the party has got long to be in power not only in the state but even in the Centre,” he said.
According to Bindo, the presence of businessmen is a common thing in all political parties. “Yes, I don’t deny that (there are rich businessmen in the party), but to say that they are running the show is absurd,” he said.
To Pala’s statement that the veterans are losing face, the UDP chief adviser said that there is no question about senior leaders like him being sidelined in the party.
“We are all part of any decision-making in the party. May be Pala is revealing about the internal rumblings within the Congress where section leaders in the party are being sidelined,” Lanong said.
The UDP veteran has opined that the new MPCC president needs to do his homework before making such comments against the UDP as it may backfire. Earlier, Pala had hit back at the UDP by stating that it is slowly losing its ideology with the entry of corrupt and rich politicians.
“We always admire the honesty of the past tall leaders of the UDP. He (Bindo Lanong) is among the tall leaders of the party who is honest and who has remained loyal to the UDP,” Pala had earlier said.
The newly-appointed MPCC president had said that the frustration among “original leaders” of the UDP reflected in the statement of some leaders of the regional party that being out of power for three-and-a-half years has made Congress desperate. “I am aware that many of the original UDP leaders are not happy since the rich and corrupt are now dominating the party. The UDP in no time will become a business party,” Pala had said.
