From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Feb 28: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) made it clear that the stand taken by Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Vincent H Pala on the Congress going it alone in Tura and Shillong parliamentary seats is the unanimous decision of the party with total approval of the party high command.
Matthew Antony, Media Coordinator in charge of North East for Indian National Congress and Spokesperson, reiterated Pala’s statement that Congress will fight it alone in Meghalaya. “The party will contest both Tura and Shillong seats as stated by the MPCC president,” he told The Shillong Times.
The reports about Congress going in alliance with TMC and leaving the Tura seat to the latter is only a speculation by the media, Antony said. The statement made by Pala in these lines was done after due consolation and consent obtained from the AICC leadership, he added.
TMC leader Zenith Sangma had dismissed the statement of Pala and said that he is not above AICC, hinting that standing not to have alliance with TMC is only a state unit’s decision.
He even accused the MPCC of allegedly rebutting the efforts of the leadership of the two parties to negotiate a seat-sharing pact in Meghalaya.
The AICC leader also dismissed Zenith’s accusations that Meghalaya Congress is not serious about defeating the BJP and its ally, the NPP. He even went to the extent of not ruling out Pala having some “understanding” with the NPP.