SHILLONG, Feb 11: The leader of the Opposition, Ronnie V Lyngdoh on Sunday said the opposition parties will have another round of meeting to discuss the issues to be raised jointly during the upcoming Budget session of the Assembly.
He said the first meeting of the opposition parties was attended only by the MLAs of the Voice of the People Party as the Trinamool Congress legislators were preoccupied.
He, however, said the TMC has indicated that its MLAs would attend future meetings.
According to Lyngdoh, the next joint meeting would follow the parliamentary party meetings of the opposition parties.
He said there has been no discussion yet on an alliance of the opposition parties but they will work together on the major issues afflicting the state.
“I am happy with the positive response I have got from both the VPP and the TMC,” he added.
TMC chief Charles Pyngrope hailed Lyngdoh’s decision.
“If the issues raised by the different political parties are relevant to all, they should be supported,” he said.
The state Congress is aiming to mobilise the MLAs of the three opposition parties to voice their concerns in unison during the Budget session scheduled to begin on February 16.
“It is not a question of a unified stand but of what the issue is,” Pyngrope said. If the others agree with the issues raised by any of the opposition parties, it will reflect a unified stand, he added. The VPP, on the other hand, said it would not enter an opposition alliance as it would like to maintain its distinct identity. But the party is open to the idea of working with Congress and the TMC on certain issues, it said.
The three-party opposition camp was found to be in disarray during the last autumn session of the 60-member House, which was why Lyngdoh took the initiative to call for unity.
