Shillong, May 26: The Congress Party will emerge as the only viable alternative in the 2028 Assembly elections, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Vincent Pala confidently proclaimed today, claiming that growing internal divisions and its links to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hurt the ruling National People’s Party (NPP).
Speaking on the political situation in the state, Pala said the Congress has “started from scratch” and is gradually regaining public support while other parties are facing internal instability.
The Congress has been in turmoil since 2018. It emerged as the largest party in the Assembly but by 2023 had zero MLAs as they had all defected to the Trinamool Congress or NPP. In a rebuilding exercise the party then won five seats in 2023 but one left for Parliament (and the seat was subsequently lost in the by-election) while the other four quit to join the NPP.
“There’s no alternative in the future. By the end of June, you will see more division within the NPP. There are already many problems in other parties as well. Congress has had enough problems earlier, but now we are climbing while other parties are falling,” Pala, who suffered an electoral blow himself by losing the Shillong Lok Sabha seat in 2024 that he had held for 15 years, said.
He alleged that several MLAs within the NPP were unhappy over the selection of the Rajya Sabha MP candidate and claimed that differences within the ruling party had intensified following the recent reshuffle of ministers.
There are increasing differences between leaders from Khasi Hills and Garo Hills over political representation and allocation of important positions within the party structure, he alleged further.
The Congress leader further accused the BJP and the NPP of attempting to divide communities for political gains and warned that such politics would be harmful for Meghalaya’s future.
“This is the talk on the ground, not just what I am saying. BJP and NPP have started dividing people. There’s no balance among communities. Their ideology is the same,” Pala alleged.
He also claimed that tribal and minority interests were safer under the Congress, stating that the party has historically protected all sections of society.
Pala raised concerns over the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), alleging that the Centre’s move could adversely affect churches, schools and Christian institutions.
He also referred to anti-conversion laws enacted in several states and expressed apprehension that similar legislations could soon be introduced in Assam and West Bengal.
According to Pala, the people of Meghalaya would realise the implications only after measures such as the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), anti-conversion laws and changes to the FCRA are implemented.
Targeting the state government, Pala alleged that the NPP leadership was unwilling to directly oppose the BJP-led Centre.
“In the matter of FCRA, instead of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to oppose it, the Chief Minister met other leaders. It is only lip service. They are scared to counter the BJP,” he claimed.
