No repeat of Uttarakhand or Aruchal in Meghalaya: Pala
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, June 1: Senior Meghalaya Congress leader and two-time MP Vincent H Pala said that the dissident activities within the state Congress will not lead to another Aruchal Pradesh or Uttarakhand sort of political episodes.
Amidst the report that Chief Minister Mukul Sangma sending an SOS to the party High Command to intercede, lest the BJP lure the dissident Congress and create an Aruchal Pradesh and Uttarakhand like situation, the Shillong MP told the newsmen on the sidelines of an official programme in Shillong on Wednesday that he is confident that there will be no replica in the state of Meghalaya.
“Off course we have to be cautious with the BJP government imposing President’s rule at will,” said Pala who has been appointed as a point man to sort out the differences in the Congress legislature Party (CLP).
“The problem within the party has been resolved and I am sure that the Chief Minister is smart enough to resolve the problems that exist,” he said.
He, however, conceded that there has been a sense of discord in the past four to five years in the party.
“But that is not an abnormal situation as there is no division on the floor of the house,” he said.
Negating the version he has been assigned by the AICC to consult with the dissident legislators, Pala said, “No, I have not been assigned by the party leadership but one should know that the Congress party is a big family and there might have some discontentment in some quarters”.
“The problem has been tackled at an appropriate time and don’t compare the situation to Uttarakhand or Aruchal Pradesh,” he said.
When asked about his meetings with the disgruntled Congress MLAs during his stay in Shillong, the Congress MP refused to divulge details. “The party wants unity and it is imperative to understand the pulse of the people ahead of the 2018 elections,” Pala said.
The term ‘pulse of the people’ assumed significance given the recent drubbing of the Congress party in the Tura by-polls.
Congress candidate Dikanshi Shira, wife of Chief Minister Sangma, was defeated by NPP leader Conrad K Sangma by a huge margin in the by-polls.
While the dissidents up the ante against the Chief Minister soon after debacle in the Tura bye polls, talks doing the rounds that the BJP under its general secretary Ram Madhav is eying to exploit the political situation in Meghalaya. Ram Madhav has denied of any move to create political instability in Meghalaya.
As reported by a tiol new channel on Wednesday, the Meghalaya State Congress leadership has sent a note to the central party leadership, cautioning the possible BJP duplication in the state.
President of MPCC D D Lapang could not be reached for comment on Sangama’s SOS to High Command.
