SHILLONG, Sep 22: Congress on Wednesday played down reports of Mukul Sangma holding talks with TMC leaders in Kolkata. According to AICC in-charge of Meghalaya Manish Chatrath, unless former chief minister himself announces his decision, party would not go by unauthenticated press reports.
Although it is an open secret that Mukul Sangma is upset after AICC did not consult him before appointing Vincent Pala as MPCC president, Chatrath claimed that the CLP leader is a senior leader and without consultation with him, party does not do anything in Meghalaya.
Speaking to The Shillong Times over the phone on Wednesday, Chatrath claimed that everything is fine between Vincent Pala and Mukul Sangma. “If there are some issues, it will be sorted out; Mukul Sangma is a senior and tallest leader of North East while Vincent Pala is our MP and PCC president,” Chatrath said.
Expressing confidence that both of them will work together, the AICC leader refused to go by reports based on undisclosed “sources” who maintain that Mukul Sangma is aggrieved as he was not consulted by AICC while electing a new party president for the state.
“I don’t believe in sources; if he himself has said (so) then I will believe it,” he said while adding that the party never does anything without consulting both Sangma and Pala.
When asked if AICC has summoned both the leaders to resolve their differences, Chatrath replied in the negative adding that if necessary, he would speak to both the leaders.
Pala to speak with Mukul
Reacting to the media reports, MPCC president, Vincent H Pala on Wednesday said he will initiate discussion with the Leader of Opposition even as he asserted that the latter should rise above personal enmity and work together for the betterment of the Congress and the people of Meghalaya.
On reports of Dr Mukul meeting leaders of the TMC in Kolkata, Pala said, “I tried to reach out to him but he had already left. I do not know exactly and since I do not know I cannot give any comment.”
On Trinamool Congress trying to reach out to Congress MLAs including the Leader of the Opposition, Pala said, “Most of the politicians are seasoned. A man like Dr Mukul will not fall prey to people calling from here and there. He is above all those”.
He observed, “TMC is a new party they want to expand not only in Meghalaya but also in Tripura and other parts of India so definitely they must be having their team to reach to anybody and that is normal and should not be seen as a problem”.
On the visible gap in the Opposition Congress widening by the day, Pala said, “There might be disappointment; there might be a gap but we have a system in the party that if someone is not happy they can go to the higher ups.”
“I do not think that Dr Mukul will leave the party as he also knows that it would not be easy to float a new party or bring in a new party. You have to build a party and that is not easy,” he said.
“Maybe he wants something which the high command has to address but as far as I am concerned, I do not think there is an issue between him and me,” Pala observed.
On the other hand, Congress working president, Ampareen Lyngdoh downplayed the political drama arising out of the widening gap between Mukul and Pala. Lyngdoh also questioned reports that the Congress was breaking apart and dismissed them as mere speculations.
“We have just revamped the party and reformed ourselves,” Lyngdoh said while adding that due to the lack of governance in the last three years, there was a need for the party to revamp its organizational structure in the state and during such reorganization, some resistance in any house is quite common.
“Political survival is one thing but our commitment to the party is another thing,” she said even as she admitted that in the run-up to any election, politicians and MLAs are generally approached by various political parties.
“It is the season of poaching and if someone from any political party comes and meets us, it does not mean that we are joining that party,” she added.
