SHILLONG, Sep 24: Rejecting the MPCC President Vincent Pala’s invite to former party men to return to Congress, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Friday said it was out of question. He deplored the state of the party and its visible decline.
“I already left the Congress party, why should I go back? You have seen in whole India what congress has done ( to itself), see what is happening in Delhi, see the broken family, what has happened in Punjab and the same happened in Rajasthan and other states, therefore congress party be it High command or state command they are totally messed up,” he added.
Pointing out that the new MPCC chief, Vincent Pala has appealed to all the former congress leaders to return, Tynsong said, “It is the duty of the MPCC president to do that even if I were to be the MPCC president I would have approached the leaders who left the party. It is natural”.
Enquired if he was approached by the Congress? Tynsong said, “I saw in the newspaper and that itself is the invitation”.
Newly-appointed state Congress president, Vincent Pala had earlier said that his first priority is to try and bring back all those leaders who had deserted the party.
He has already managed to bring back former party leader, RG Lyngdoh and PN Syiem and is trying to reach out to many others for revamping the party before elections due in 2023.
It may be recalled that in 2017 just a few months ahead of elections, five Congress MLAs had resigned to join NDA constituent National People’s Party (NPP).
Those who put in their papers were former deputy chief minister Rowell Lyngdoh, Sniawbhalang Dhar, Comingone Ymbon, Prestone Tynsong, and Ngaitlang Dhar.
The five Congress legislators had earlier rebelled against the then Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and the party leadership.
PDF chief: Pala wants
me to re-join Cong
People’s Democratic Front (PDF) president Banteidor Lyngdoh on Friday said the newly-appointed MPCC president, Vincent H. Pala had approached him for returning to Congress.
Lyngdoh had won the 2014 KHADC elections on a Congress ticket before joining the PDF.
The PDF president had a cordial relation with former Chief Minister and Congress Legislature Party leader Mukul Sangma. The latter had campaigned for him from Mawsynram to Thangsning village in a chopper for the MDC election.
Lyngdoh told reporters that Pala’s offer was not unexpected with the state Assembly elections scheduled in 2023.
“I have not accepted or rejected the offer. But my priority as the president is to strengthen my party
to ensure that we win more seats in 2023,” he said.
He said he will try to persuade leaders from other political parties to join the PDF.
Lyngdoh, however, said that he cannot predict the future since nothing is final in politics. “But the priority should be on serving the people. It does not matter which political parties we belong to,” he added.