For the second time in a few years the Congress Party has been wiped out in the Meghalaya Assembly. Not because it was unable to win over voters but because the legislators chosen on the party’s ticket jumped into the arms of another.
The latest and last, Mylliem MLA Ronnie V Lyngdoh, did so today and the exhausted party leadership trotted out some of the same tired references to Judas Iscariot and how the party would recover once again from the grassroots upwards.
Lyngdoh and the three other former Congressmen elected from Khasi-Jaintia Hills in 2023 moved body and soul to the ruling National People’s Party (NPP). Today, Mathew Antony, the All India Congress Committee joint secretary in charge of Meghalaya, lashed out at the NPP for going on a “shopping spree” to buy up MLAs with what he said were ill-gotten gains looted from the public purse.
The lure of the NPP, whether financial or otherwise, will certainly have been a consideration for the turncoats but Antony ignored the fact that none of the MLAs belonging to the two other opposition parties – the Trinamool Congress and Voice of the People Party – have defected to the NPP (yet). The Congress seems to have a distinct problem in keeping its house in order and its legislators obedient.
Yet, even so, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee working president Deborah Marak insisted that there is no leadership crisis in the state unit. “Our president (former MP Vincent Pala) is active and working hard. The NPP’s use of muscle and money power has poached our MLAs, but that doesn’t mean we are weak,” she asserted.
Antony insisted that the Congress will emerge stronger with new leaders being inducted in the coming days.
Addressing the media, Marak said that the Congress remains committed to its core values and to the people of Meghalaya. “Even without a single MLA, we are ready to restructure and revamp the party. In the last MP election, we had no MLA or MDC in Garo Hills, yet we managed to win the Tura parliamentary seat. That shows our strength at the grassroots level,” she added.
When questioned about why the party did not act earlier despite knowing about Lyngdoh’s interactions with the NPP, Marak explained that party figures from Delhi had attempted to convince him to stay. “There were efforts made, but ultimately it was his decision. We received the official letter only today,” she clarified.
Manuel Badwar, state Congress general secretary and media in-charge, described Lyngdoh’s defection as a setback not only to the party but also to the ongoing legal case where the party had challenged the legality of the move of the other three MLAs to the NPP. “Ironically, Ronnie was the main petitioner in our case against three MLAs who defected earlier. With him now joining the NPP, the case stands compromised. It seems like a calculated move to undermine the judicial process,” Badwar said.
He expressed concern over what he termed as “transactional politics” by the NPP. “We are witnessing a trend where political decisions are being driven by self-interest and monetary gains rather than public service. This threatens the very fabric of our democracy,” he added.
As part of its efforts to rebuild, the party is now focused on revamping its grassroots organization and welcoming back former leaders. “Yes, many ex-MLAs and MDCs from Garo Hills are returning to the party,” Marak confirmed. Badwar added, “We’re open to those who believe in our principles, not opportunists chasing short-term gains.”
