SHILLONG, June 5: The state BJP on Monday confirmed that Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Sangma made a move to meet the party’s central leaders in New Delhi.
The confirmation gains significance as the former chief minister had rubbished reports of him travelling to the national capital recently to meet the top brass of the saffron party.
“There was an attempt to meet the central leaders in Delhi. But nothing has been communicated to us,” state BJP chief Ernest Mawrie said on Monday.
“As of now, we are not aware of any new development since they have closed the chapter,” he said.
There have been speculations about a possible move by the TMC legislators to merge with the BJP even though leaders of both political parties are maintaining a stony silence on the development.
Giving a further push to the reports that Sangma would join the BJP, a party insider told The Shillong Times that Sangma had travelled to Delhi recently and met top BJP functionaries there.
While Sangma rubbished the reports as media speculation, TMC state president and Nongthymmai MLA Charles Pyngrope said he was not aware of any such move.
Sangma quit the Congress along with 11 legislators in November 2021 to join the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC.
In another development, the state BJP relieved its Schedule Tribe Morcha president and former CEM of GHADC, Boston Marak from all responsibilities after he was recently charge-sheeted by the Lokayukta in a corruption case.
Stating that the BJP practices zero tolerance on corruption, Mawrie said, “Recently, the Lokayukta charge-sheeted Marak who happens to be now in BJP and our Schedule Tribe Morcha president.”
“I am relieving him from all responsibilities with immediate effect and forwarding his matter to the disciplinary committee for suggesting what action should be taken against him,” he added.
On May 18, the Lokayukta filed a chargesheet naming Marak, former GHADC secretary Hewingson Sangma, 10 MDCs, and a few contractors after it found them to be involved in a case of corruption involving public funds. The Lokayukta further recommended that a special court be set up in Tura so that action can be taken against those named in the chargesheet.
Besides Marak and Hewingson Sangma, the chargesheet named Mark Goera Marak, Righteous Sangma, Jimbirth Sangma, Levastone Sangma, Winnison Ch Marak, Rupert Sangma, Kenedick S. Marak, and Dhormonath Sangma and called them out for indulging in corruption.
