SHILLONG, Oct 8: Reposing their faith in the leadership of state Congress chief Vincent H Pala, party stalwarts Charles Pyngrope and Ampareen Lyngdoh on Friday asked party members, including MLAs and MDCs, to lend their support to him.
Pyngrope told The Shillong Times that it is not even a month that Pala took over as the party’s state president and as such, one must not judge him without giving him enough time.
“We need to give him a fair chance to prove himself. Why are we in such a hurry to discredit a person who has done his best to rebuild the party?” Pyngrope asked.
He said the party’s state unit had sought a change in leadership and the All India Congress Committee (AICC) effected the change.
“I would urge the party leaders to give him a chance to prove his mettle. We have observed that he is earnestly trying to rebuild the party by taking everyone along,” Pyngrope said.
He described as mere allegations the accusation of some party MLAs and MDCs that Pala had set up candidates whose names were not recommended.
There are allegations galore that he influenced the AICC to deny tickets to those recommended by Block Congress and Pradesh Election Committee (PEC). But Pyngrope said the AICC has its own mechanism and screening process to award ticket to the right person.
He said sometimes the AICC may make a mistake in fielding a wrong person. “But even the PEC on many occasions recommended a wrong person. So, I feel this is not the time for a blame game,” he said. Insisting that there should not be any favoritism in awarding a ticket, he said it should be based on the merit of the person and the work he has done in the constituency.
“I will suggest the state leadership to ensure there is no favoritism in the allotment of tickets,” Pyngrope added.
Echoing similar views, Pradesh Congress working president, Ampareen Lyngdoh said Pala is here to stay and no one can remove him.
“He will be allowed to perform and we will evaluate his performance after the 2023 elections,” she said.
Recalling that similar questions were raised on Pala’s credibility when he was seeking re-election during 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Lyngdoh said despite all odds, he had managed to win by a big margin.
