SHILLONG, Oct 6: Despite a handshake in Delhi in front of AICC high command, the internal squabble in Congress refuses to die down. While CLP leader Mukul Sangma has been maintaining uncharacteristic stoic silence, there are a number of party MLAs who are wary of new PCC president’s machinations.
In a sign of simmering dissent in the state Congress against the appointment of Lok Sabha member Vincent H Pala as the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, a section of Congress MLAs and MDCs from Khasi-Jaintia Hills region have asserted that the AICC should have appointed a leader who could have carried along everyone as Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president.
The remarks by a section of the MLAs and MDCs comes a day after former Congress MDC and now NPP candidate, Lamphrang Blah termed the AICC decision to appoint Pala as MPCC chief as a ‘blunder’.
“Many of us do not trust Pala due to his past records of putting up candidates against its own party candidates during the previous Assembly elections in the State,” a section of the Congress MLAs and MDCs told The Shillong Times on Wednesday.
According to them, Pala had allegedly denied party tickets by convincing the AICC even after the recommendations of the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) of the MPCC during 2013 elections.
Citing an example, they stated that Charles Pyngrope’s son (L) David A. Nongrum, Cabinet Minister Paidang Lyngdoh from Mawkynrew and Strawberry man (L) Leston Wanswett were denied party tickets in 2013 by Pala.
The MLAs and MDCs recalled that the AICC had finally awarded the party ticket to Pala’s close aide – Pynehborlang Mukhim from Mawryngkneng, Drola Khongjoh from Mawkynrew and Jropsing Nongkhlaw from Shella.
They also claimed that many of the party candidates from Khasi-Jaintia Hills had lost the 2018 Assembly elections since Pala had supported candidates from other parties.
“We fear that he (Pala) will get involved in similar anti-party activities after being elevated to the post of president. As the MPCC chief, he can even deny tickets to sitting MLAs who are out of favour with him,” they feared.
According to these MLAs and MDCs, they have got information that the MPCC president has already projected some people to contest the upcoming 2023 elections. Hence, some sitting MLAs will be denied tickets, they added. “The prospect of the Congress doing well in the 2023 elections will be diminished if there are no checks and balances on the activities of Pala,” they stated.
They also revealed that they had projected senior party leader, Charles Pyngrope as the MPCC president. “We had all impressed upon AICC Meghalaya in-charge, Manish Chatrath, to appoint Pyngrope since we know that he will be able to carry along all the leaders to rebuild the party. But it is really unfortunate that the party did not consider our recommendations,” they stated.
The leaders also said that they will seek appointment of a new CLP leader stating that they have strong reasons to believe that Dr Mukul Sangma will leave the party at an appropriate time.
“We are aware that discussions between Dr. Mukul and TMC leaders are at an advanced stage. We are not sure how many of our MLAs will follow him. But it appears that the CLP leader has already made up his mind to quit the Congress,” they said.
On the reports of a patch up between Pala and Dr Mukul at the behest of the AICC, they said that the two leaders will not be able to work together due to lack of trust.
