SHILLONG, Dec 1: State Trinamool Congress president and Nongthymmai MLA, Charles Pyngrope on Sunday said he was under increasing pressure from his party leaders and workers to join Congress.
“There is a pressure on me but I cannot succumb to the pressure because the rules do not allow it,” he told The Shillong Times on Sunday.
“As legislators elected by the people, we have to follow certain mandates. On that ground, if my supporters want to go and join Congress I can only give them my blessings. I cannot stop them,” he said.
Recently, Congress leader Ronnie V Lyngdoh said 1,500 TMC members in Nongthymmai have enrolled to join Congress.
“I cannot stop anybody from joining any political party. They have been loyal to me, voted for me and elected me many times. I am grateful to them. However, if they want to join Congress with or without my consent, it is up to them,” Pyngrope said.
A Congress party source said Pyngrope is unlikely to cross over from the TMC anytime soon despite pressure building up on him. “He will have to be careful about the anti-defection rule,” he said.
The source also said Pyngrope understands that the wind is blowing towards Congress and he will eventually have to listen to his grassroots leaders and supporters.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and TMC leader Mukul Sangma took to social media to clarify reports that state Congress president Vincent H Pala has been in touch with him for a possible return to the grand old party.
“While I have been recuperating from a brief illness, I have neither been able to meet nor speak to all my good friends from the media fraternity for quite some time. But, as one of the news headlines in a media channel is in circulation today, speculative political narratives do get generated by the vibrant media due to the ever-evolving political dynamics,” he wrote.
“Though I sincerely appreciate the members of the fourth estate for being active and vigilant besides the hard work (working overtime) to ensure news dissemination for all of us, my sincere request to all is to wait for a few more days in as far as this narrative is concerned it will be nice and appropriate to hear from the horse’s mouth,” he further wrote.
