Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Vincent H Pala has said that the party is not averse to working with the NPP, except the BJP.
His statement came after the NPP got the help of the six-member opposition Congress to oust the Executive Committee led by Titos Chyne from power in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC).
Last year the Congress had suspended its five MLAs, including Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Ampareen Lyngdoh for supporting the NPP-led MDA government.
However, the Congress chief today chose to differentiate the two cases stating that the MDCs had availed consent from the high command, which was not the case of the suspended legislators then.
“At that time we did not have a problem working with NPP. It was only because BJP was there. It was clear we can’t work together with BJP, that’s why in the case of Ampareen it was different with today’s case. In this case they have joined with the power given by Delhi AICC and that time they had gone on their own,” he stated.
Pala also claimed that his party has no role to play in toppling the UDP-led EC in the KHADC but a “fight between the NPP and the UDP.”
According to him, the Congress will not benefit from the coalition in the KHADC keeping in mind that the district council election will be held in the next eight months, but the issue of amendment to the Sixth Scheduled, which they did not have a say, will be heard. “Now we can put our views forth and try to protect our people by entering in the district council and put up a resolution on how to amend the Sixth Schedule,” he said.
Pala said that the BJP is trying to dilute the Sixth Schedule, by introducing a Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2019. “The government will take up the Bill but before that, they need a resolution from the district council and the states. So within these months we can influence a resolution of the policies in the council so that they can accept it especially for elections of the headman, rights of people in land tenure system so it is important for us to protect, preserve and promote our people in the council,” he stated.
