SHILLONG, Feb 15: Is something cooking up between the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and the five suspended Congress MLAs?
With AITC state leader, Mukul Sangma extending a dinner invitation to the five MLAs, speculation runs rife over a possible attempt by the former to woo the “five” who were suspended by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for extending support to the NPP-led MDA Government without the sanction of the high command.
Sangma, however, downplayed the invitation, saying the political developments in the state do not necessarily mean his party and Congress cannot work together and look at issues collectively.
“When we take up issues collectively with the sole intention of addressing the concerns of the people, we must always discuss among ourselves and explore the possibilities of aggregating our potentialities,” Sangma said, stating that the CLP members have been his colleagues for a long time and have worked together.
“We were separated because of the political development that has unfolded, but that does not prevent us from having a get-together and looking at issues before us,” he added.
The AITC leader refused to comment on the fate of the state Congress, insisting that he is an observer like anyone else.
On whether the AICC could have prevented the exodus of 12 MLAs to AITC and the current crisis in the Congress camp, Sangma said: “It is a question of having an in-depth understanding about the push and pull as a political party and how we realign our approach to deal with the situation and challenges.”
He said the ‘chalta hai’ attitude does not work in politics. “There has to be serious introspection about why things are good or bad or why you are always confronted by some kind of crisis,” he added.
Sangma said running a party like Congress is a tough job and one has to acclimatise to the inherent challenges. “If things would have been done correctly, things would have been good,” he said when asked if the removal of Vincent H. Pala as the MPCC president would have made a difference.
Meanwhile, suspended CLP leader Ampareen Lyngdoh on Tuesday acknowledged that the five MLAs have received a dinner invitation from Sangma. She, however, maintained that attending a dinner with a former colleague should not be construed as a commitment of any kind.
“We get invited to dinner, breakfast and lunch. We are enjoying this freedom and trying to figure out what to do next,” she said when told that political deals are struck over meals. Refusing to divulge their future course of action, Lyngdoh said it is important for them now to consider all available options.
She said the AICC has given them 10 days to reply to a show-cause notice.
“The notice only mentioned that there was an anti-party omission. It did not specify what the so-called suspension was for,” she said.
Lyngdoh said the five would like to enjoy the “freedom” before sitting down to discuss the way forward.
“We are also looking at all the options. We will take the best,” the CLP leader said.
She said their decision “could not have gone any other way” if the five had been invited for talks before being suspended.
She clarified that they did not accept any party’s ideology except that of the MDA government and its lead partner, the National People’s Party.
“The BJP may have its own perception of this ideology. We looked at the lead partner, which is the NPP and thought it would be in the fitness of things to be part of the government,” she said.