Top Congress leaders rule out dissidence against Meghalaya CM

FROM STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Shillong, May 24: Even though the insinuation doing the round about a group of Congress legislators in the state are looking for Mukul Sangma’s ouster from the Chief Minister chair, two senior Congress legislators feigned ignorance about the move.

The legislators who are known to be Mukul Sangma baiters told The Sentinel that even though they are not happy with Sangma, following the debacle of the party in the Tura by polls, they have not sought his immediate ouster.

Asked on the report that the Congress legislators have been summoned by the  party high command to New Delhi to discuss the leadership issue, a senior Congress Minister said, “I am not aware of such summon. So far my knowledge is concerned; our leaders are camping in New Delhi to discuss the outcome of the poll with the party high command.”

D D Lapang, who is camping in New Delhi, is learnt to have briefed the Congress leadership including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the AICC in charge of the state on the party state of affairs. Lapang could not be reached for comments. Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Salseng C Marak, however, said that there is no such move to replace the current Chief Minister.

He negated the notion that that the MPCC president DD Lapang has a letter signed by some party legislators and ministers demanding replacement of Chief Minister Sangma.

Marak said, “This is not true, Lapang doesn’t

have any such letter and we have not reached the stage for demanding replacement of Mukul  Sangma as chief minister.”

Few days back, Lapang admitted dissension in the party. He told the Sentinel, “Differences of opinion is tural in a big party like ours but we are not going to burn our own house”.