SHILLONG, Sep 24: NPP state president, Dr. WR Kharlukhi, has spelled out the future move of Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma, stating that the latter will stick with Congress as he does not have the political luxury like PA Sangma, who “came out of the Congress in 1999 and together with Sharad Pawar formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), then joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and then set up a new party, the National People’s Party (NPP), in 2012.”
“He (PA Sangma) won every election he fought in different symbols and Dr Mukul does not have the political luxury that PA Sangma had,” said Kharlukhi, who is also a Rajya Sabha member.
Stating that regardless of the differences between Mukul and Pala, come 2023 elections, as a Congress candidate, he has to contest under leadership of Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Vincent Pala, Kharlukhi added, “That’s why I said Dr. Mukul Sangma, being a seasoned politician, will not commit such a blunder by leaving the Congress and Pala being a shrewd politician will not allow him to do so”.
On reports of few NPP MLAs having discussions with the Congress leaders to switch over, the NPP sate chief said, “This is a mind game and they are playing it”.
“I know my party MLAs better than anyone else and there is nothing like that. I am sure that no MLA will be planning to shift and all of them will fight from NPP only,” Kharlukhi added.
“In 2018, NPP had the largest vote share followed by UDP and Congress. So, shifting is not so simple,” he argued.
To a query that the NPP-led MDA Government is smeared in charges of corruption and irregularities, which purportedly is the prime reason for NPP MLAs to look for greener pasture to contest the 2023 polls, Kharlukhi said, “This is all politics, which the Opposition is raking up from time to time. If they say we are corrupt, they may very well prove it”.
“People are the best judge and they are aware enough to distinguish between desperate attempts to be in prominence and the truth. They cannot be fooled,” he added.