By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 8: All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leader, Mukul Sangma on Wednesday made an offer to the five Congress MLAs of the state to join the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
“All five of them should take a collective and conscious decision and join us if they mean business and have the intention and purpose to serve the people,” Sangma said.
Stating that it is important for them to understand the ground reality, he said they are a bit confused and as such, could not take a conscious decision on time.
He predicted that more people and leaders will join the AITC in the coming months. “You will keep seeing it. It will happen beyond the boundary of the state and it will continue,” he said.
Sangma said it is encouraging to see that not only from the Congress but people from other parties are also joining the AITC. He claimed the people’s response to the AITC has been tremendous as evident from their joining the party across the state. “There are thousands of youth who are disassociating themselves from the Congress and joining the AITC in Tura,” he claimed.
Asked if there are MLAs willing to join the party, he said, “Allow me to keep the cards close to my chest. I will share (everything) when we feel it is right to share.”
No fool that I will return to Congress: Tynsong
National People’s Party (NPP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong said it will be foolish for him to return to the Congress. On the contrary, he advised the five Congress MLAs to jump the Congress ship before it sinks completely.
“I was the one who had advised the others to jump the ship of the Congress. Now, if I have to go back, I will be the Number 1 fool. The Congress ship has already sunk 75%,” Tynsong said.
Recently, Congress leader Ampareen Lyngdoh had stated the party is working hard and hoping to bring back the leaders who parted ways in 2017-18.
Unhappy with the functioning of the then Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, five ruling Congress MLAs had resigned from the Assembly to join NPP, just months ahead of 2018 Assembly elections. They were former Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh, Sniawbhalang Dhar, Comingone Ymbon, Prestone Tynsong and Ngaitlang Dhar.
Asked if the All India Trinamool Congress will be a threat to the NPP, Tynsong said, “We will have to depend on the faith of people and voters. The AITC came yesterday but the NPP, being a party from the state, has its base.”
“The NPP has got the status of a national party. People know and recognize it. They have seen the work we have done under the leadership of the CM and the MDA partners,” he said.
GH Cong youth leaders march off to Trinamool
From Our Correspondent
TURA, Dec 8: As expected, a major chunk of Youth Congress leaders and supporters in Garo Hills on Wednesday followed the 12 former party legislators headed by Charles Pyngrope and Mukul Sangma by discarding the grand old party in favour of the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
Organised by the outgoing Meghalaya Youth Congress leaders, a ceremonial programme was staged at New Tura Law College field where dozens of Congress workers and supporters embraced the AITC signifying the entry of the party West Bengal into the region in a big way.
The aggrieved Congress workers, who owed their allegiance to former chief minister Mukul Sangma have been miffed with the Congress high command for the manner in which their leader was sidelined and Lok Sabha member Vincent Pala was given appointment as the new state party president.
The outgoing Congress leaders claim that the shift to the AITC by the youth leaders and supporters, led by former Youth Congress president Richard Marak, has been near total.
Interestingly, as many as four youth leaders who contested the 2018 assembly polls but lost out have also joined the AITC giving it a considerable boost.
Some like Rupa Marak of Dadenggre gave a tough fight to NPP heavyweight James Pangsang K Sangma in the last elections. Rupa came second in that election, despite being an Independent candidate, losing to James by 2785 votes.
Other leaders who have considerable following within their respective constituencies and had taken the election plunge, last time, includes Rupert M Sangma (former MDC) and Adamkid A Sangma, both former contestants from North Tura seat.
Thomas A Sangma of the NPP won that contest while Adamkid and Rupert came third and fourth, respectively.
Former government veterinary doctor Saljagringrang R Marak also joined AITC. He had contested the 2018 assembly polls from Baghmara constituency and came fifth.
According to the outgoing Youth Congress president Richard Marak, people in the state are looking at an alternative after witnessing the central government’s alleged crony capitalism which is benefitting certain individuals and groups alone.
He also said that the current dispensation in the state — the MDA government headed by the NPP has failed to transform the lives of the people and were only providing lip service with nothing tangible on the ground to see.