Rahul wants action against ex-NCP MLAs

Shillong, Sept 5: Stung by PA Sangma’s claim recently that Congress president Sonia Gandhi never took a decision without consulting him when he was in the Congress, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi influenced the NCP to demand disqualification of the twelve NCP legislators who have joined the National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya.

As a fallout of Sangma’s claim, his daughter and union minister of state Agatha Sangma is likely to be dropped from the cabinet in the next reshuffle after the parliament session is over even as NCP national general secretary DP Tripathi has shot off a complaint to Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope demanding action against the twelve legislators under the anti-defection law.

Tripathi wrote the complaint letter to Pyngrope after he was directed by NCP leader and union minister Praful Patel to do so.

Tripathi had sent the complaint through speed post on August 30 saying, “The NCP is a national party recognized by the Election Commission of India. Following twelve MLAs of our party from Meghalaya have recently been taken over by the party called NPP in Meghalaya, without the consent of our party chief, which is against the norms.”

The complaint went on to say that since these twelve MLAs have violated the constitution of our party they will be charged under the anti-defection act and we request you to intervene and take appropriate action in this matter.

It is learnt that the complaint from Tripathi to Pyngrope was triggered because Rahul Gandhi took umbrage at PA Sangma’s claim that his mother had to consult him for every decision the Congress made when he was in the party.

Gandhi apparently told Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to get in touch with Praful Patel and request him to take up the matter of disqualification of the twelve NCP members who had gone to NPP with Meghalaya speaker.

Pyngrope now will have the onerous task of acting on the complaint sent to him by Tripathi. Meantime, technically the twelve legislators will still be counted as NCP as the speaker has not acted on their request to formally recognized them as NPP.- By Our Reporter