The MLAs, other party members and youth activists who have quit the Congress in recent days are using lame excuses to justify their move, Congress Legislature Party leader Ampareen Lyngdoh said today.
Many who have defected or resigned from the party since last month have accused Meghalaya Congress working president Vincent Pala of unduly favouring the wealthy for positions in the party.
“Why were all these grievances not aired in the series of the meetings we had and during the preparation for the by-elections (in October)? Congress allows everyone to speak and it’s very wrong to find fault now and give all these lame excuses,” she said.
She said this in reaction to Rambrai-Jyrngam MDC Bajop Pyngrope’s hints that he would join the 12 MLAs who quit the Congress for the Trinamool Congress.
Meanwhile, she said that the 12 defecting legislators should have resigned their seats in the Assembly and contested the resulting by-elections on TMC tickets. That way, they would not have “betrayed the mandate” of the people who elected them as Congress MLAs in 2018, Lyngdoh added.
She also noted that, even if their defection is allowed to stand (the Congress has asked the Speaker to disqualify them), the 12 will sit with the rump Congress’ five MLAs on the opposition benches in the Assembly and all the move has done is to divide the opposition, which could harm the interests of the public.
Meanwhile, Malki MDC Fantin Joseph Lakadong, who is Lyngdoh’s husband, lambasted Pyngrope for the various statements he made yesterday.
“I was shocked that our party member was all praise for the TMC and that he claimed the new party will rule Meghalaya,” he said.
Stating that when Pala was appointed Meghalaya Congress president, the Congress MDCs in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council are all happy, he said, “We thought that it would be very balanced with Dr Mukul Sangma (one of the defectors) as the legislature party leader and Pala as the president and there was no disappointing factor expressed by anyone.”
He maintained that the seven Congress MDCs in the KHADC are still intact and united even if Pyngrope leaves and joins the TMC.
