By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 18: The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) on Saturday said the Congress’s decision to partner with the state government on issues of public interests is a betrayal and contrary to what the party always stood for.
“It is a reflection of the fact that the Congress in Meghalaya is in complete disarray and confused,” AITC’s state parliamentary party chief, Mukul Sangma said.
Reminding that he had earlier asked the Congress MLAs to join the AITC, he said if they have the resolve to serve the people and the state, it is time for them to join the AITC. It is the only platform where they can do justice to the responsibilities vested upon them, he claimed.
“The Congress decided to be a part of the government where NPP and BJP are actively associated. It is the reflection of their desperation to remain in power,” Sangma said.
He also said that the Congress since losing the 12 MLAs to the AITC has not been in a position to reaffirm its commitment to the people in sync with what was promised in 2018.
“Some of them attempted to be a part of the government after the (last) election results were announced in March 2018. I think it is their desperation which has led them to this. Twelve of us have merged with the AITC in November 25,” Sangma said.
Relief that we won’t
get influenced: Ampareen
The Congress said it will not react no matter what the deserters may say. The party said it is a relief that it will no longer get influenced by them.
“The TMC may infer into our partnership as they wish, we will go with our own approach to collaborative political goodwill in the interest of the people,” Congress leader Ampareen Lyngdoh said referring to the party’s decision to work with the state government.
“We start afresh with no baggage. Petty political backlash is far from our style of functioning,” she added.
In an unprecedented political development, the Congress on Friday had decided to work together with the National People’s Party-led government on “agenda relating to the interest of the public”.
Conveying the decision to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, the Congress said it preferred cooperating with the government to continuing with a “hostile disconnect”.