Amidst speculation UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh dismisses rift talk

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Amid political buzz and speculative narratives surrounding an apparent rift within the United Democratic Party, its president and Power Minister Metbah Lyngdoh on Thursday categorically dismissed allegations of internal dissidence. He asserted that robust deliberations inside the Assembly should not be misconstrued as factional fault lines.

With murmurs of intra-party differences and conjecture over strained equations doing the rounds in political corridors, Metbah Lyngdoh sought to reinforce the narrative of organizational cohesion. He stressed that democratic debate within a party framework is intrinsic to governance and does not indicate discord.

Interacting with journalists, he rejected reports of friction within the party's ranks.

"There is nothing as such from my side. In fact, I am very open and I am a very positive person in life. Whatever we discuss inside the House contributes to the welfare of the people of the state," he said, underlining that legislative interventions are anchored in public interest rather than personal equations.

When asked about perceived "differences" with senior party colleague and West Shillong legislator Paul Lyngdoh, Metbah Lyngdoh dismissed the premise of the query. "What misunderstanding, and why are you asking that question? I do not have anything to say. I have already spelled out my mind. I am a very positive person. I cannot say anything… I do not look at a person always with a negative mind," he remarked.

Reiterating the sanctity of the Assembly as the appropriate forum for political engagement, the UDP president maintained that the government duly acknowledges issues flagged by members.

"I mentioned today on the floor of the House that we take note of all issues and points raised by members, and we will take action accordingly at the appropriate time. It is always constructive, whoever the member is, unless they have their own bad motive. That is a different matter. I have nothing to say about that, but I have seen all of them (MLAs); they always share positive suggestions. This is the platform. Which platform should we go to - Motphran? Police Bazaar? Iew Laitumkhrah? Iew Laban?" he said, in a pointed defence of institutional discourse over extra-legislative mobilization.

"We are leaders, so we should behave as leaders. When we are inside the House, we should always approach matters with a constructive mind," the UDP chief added.

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