By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 19: AICC secretary in charge of Meghalaya, Manish Chatrath has claimed that some former Congress leaders in the state were in touch with him for returning to the party.
He declined to take any names when asked if former Chief Minister Mukul M Sangma was one of these leaders.
“The MPCC president has to forward to the AICC the formal proposals by those who to return to the party,” he told reporters on Thursday, adding that there were several such cases in Karnataka.
Chatrath said some of those keen on returning to Congress are in touch with the senior leaders of the party while others had met him.
“In a political system, people always want to return when you start winning again,” he said.
Chatrath, however, said the MPCC chief would be in a better position to answer if there are former leaders who are keen on returning to the party.
He exuded confidence that Congress would win both the Shillong and Tura parliamentary seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
He said that the NPP-led MDA government has not been able to deliver what it had promised after coming back to power.
He recalled that things were the same in the last term as the incumbent government did nothing concrete for the good of the state.
“People slowly understand what this NPP-led MDA government is up to. We see unemployment at its peak in the state. I think it is going to be a change as far as Lok Sabha elections are concerned and we are confident of winning both the seats,” Chatrath said.
He said Congress has a team of senior leaders capable of handling the preparations of the party for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the Khasi and Garo Hills regions.
“Many candidates are aspiring for party tickets from both the seats. But the Central Election Committee of the party will take the final call after the screening committee in Delhi shortlists the names,” he said.
Asked about the prospects of the opposition alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said the constituents of the bloc have big leaders in the states. These leaders are working together.
Chatrath also said the opposition alliance has been weighing the option of projecting their prime ministerial candidate.
Cong-NPP coalition in KHADC
MPCC president Vincent H Pala said the decision of Congress to work with the NPP in the KHADC will not affect the party’s prospects in the district council elections scheduled early next year.
Pala said the party decided to work with the NPP taking into account the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
He said the party understands that the council will play a critical role in the proposed amendment.
“How can the NPP and UDP work together to follow up on the developments regarding the proposed amendment when there is a rift between the two parties? Therefore, we decided to work with the NPP in the overall interest of the council and the protection of land, culture, and traditions of the Khasi indigenous community,” Pala said.
The MPCC chief further said that the issues in the district council are different from those of the state.
“We are ready to work with any party except the BJP. We have made it very clear that we will work with the NPP but we are not going to compromise with our ideology,” he said.
Pala said the alignment of Congress with the BJP was for the sole purpose of protecting the interest of the Khasi indigenous community. “I don’t think either the UDP or NPP are very much concerned about the issues afflicting our own indigenous people,” he said.