SHILLONG: The crucial meeting of UDP to discuss the issue of change of leadership in All Regional Parties Alliance (ARPA) will be held at the residence of the party president Donkupar Roy on Monday.
Prior to this, another meeting between UDP and HSPDP convened by KHANM will be held at Jaiaw to iron out the differences over the issue of ARPA leadership.
The decision on whether to pull out from ARPA over the demand of change of leadership will depend on the stand UDP MDCs take during the meeting, party sources said on Sunday.
The working president of UDP Bindo Lanong said on Sunday that after the UDP had written to HSPDP to change the KHADC CEM Ardent Basaiawmoit, HSPDP replied making it clear that the party would not change its leader.
“The letter signed by HSPDP president Hopingstone Lyngdoh said that they cannot change the leader at this juncture and Ardent will continue to be the CEM”, Lanong said.
The UDP leader, however, asserted that the party is in favour of ARPA and UDP is committed to the alliance till the end of the term, but the issue is only on the leadership since the UDP MDCs had expressed their reservations.
Lanong said that the UDP MDCs had complained that they were marginalized and ill treated by the CEM and the coalition system was not respected.
“Our MDCs even cited examples in this regard and even wrote two letters to the CEM expressing disgust over his functioning , but in vain”, Lanong said.
The UDP leader did not divulge the probable decision the party will take during Mondays’ meeting.
“It all depends on the decision of our party MDCs”, Lanong said.
