Mukul congratulates Purno on Tura win
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has downplayed reports of dissidence, probable threat to his Government in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha polls and the return of his rival PA Sangma to national politics.
The Chief Minister told reporters on Thursday that he was not aware of any rift in the Congress party or CLP over his leadership. He admitted, however, that there had been signs of disgruntlement in the past too and added that it is a “present continuous tense and we know the state very well.”
The Chief Minister, who was the chief campaign manager for the Congress candidate in the Tura seat, admitted that the party was over-confident in Tura. Moreover, the straight contest also resulted in the defeat of the party candidate.
“The Shillong seat witnessed a multi-cornered contest which ensured the victory of party candidate and had there been a third candidate in Tura, we could have won the seat “, Sangma said.
The Chief Minister congratulated Tura MP PA Sangma who had defeated Congress candidate Daryl Momin. “I congratulated PA Sangma and wished him all the success,” Mukul Sangma said.
After the victory of Congress candidate Vincent Pala in Shillong, two-time Congress legislator from Raliang Comingone Ymbon had said that Pala won the seat despite infighting within the party and also in the absence of any positive intervention from AICC. Comingone had how many Congress legislators had tried to ensure Pala’s victory.
The Chief Minister said that Comingone did not tell him anything in this regard though he had spoken to him. Nor had MPCC president DD Lapang spoken to him anything about differences within the party over the poll results.
Queried about opposition parties especially NPP asking him to quit, the Chief Minister said, “It is their job and habit.”
Commenting on the election results of Tura and Shillong Lok Sabha seats, the Chief Minister said, “We are happy to get one seat in Shillong whereas we could not ensure the victory of our candidate in Tura which we have been losing since 1999.”
He said the large turn-out of people both in Tura and Shillong ought to be appreciated.
Refusing to admit PA Sangma as the undisputed leader of Garo Hills, he said being a single MP or MLA did not make anyone an undisputed leader.
Sangma also denied that he and other legislators had gone against the official candidate of the party Vincent Pala who won the Shillong seat in the multi -cornered contest.
Asked why he did not campaign for the Shillong candidate, the Chief Minister said that that PCC president DD Lapang and other senior leaders of the party in Khasi Hills had taken care of the campaign for Pala. “These are sensational stories created by media intended to serve some section of people and we are surprised how media can speculate what happened during the meeting held at 10 Janpath in Delhi,” he said, commenting on reports of his not supporting Pala’s candidature.
