SHILLONG, OCT 25: The ruling Congress is continuing to talk tough with regards to sitting legislators, who are leaving the party, promising “defeat” to such “turn coats” in the upcoming 2018 Assembly elections.
“Who are those MLAs who are leaving, you name them one by one and we will ensure their defeat,” chief minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after a party meeting held here in the city on Wednesday.
Claiming that enough inputs have been collected on the position of the deserters, he warned that an electoral battle is not a battle which so easy and simple and said, “We have very strong candidates against all these “turn coats”, it is as simple as that.”
At least five disgruntled legislators are all set to leave the Congress party to join other political parties ahead of the next year’s assembly polls.
These include veteran Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Rowell Lyngdoh, two former ministers – Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar, Umroi MLA Ngaitlang Dhar and suspended member from Mawsynram Pynshngain N Syiem.
While all the four sitting MLAs are likely to join the opposition National People’s Party (NPP), Syiem has been projected as a leader of the newly floated regional party – the People’s Democratic Front (PDF).
Stating that the reason for them (deserters) to look at the other side is because they have agenda which is self-centric, the chief minister said, “However, we know how to reach out to our electorate and how to ultimately take on them during the electoral battle.”
He also said that the Congress has shown the capacity to deal with such kinds of situation, which is nothing new to the party.
Recalling that there has been situations where sitting MLAs has been denied ticket by the party, Sangma said that what makes you think that all sitting MLAs will get ticket?
He revealed that even now, the party is engaging an exercise which is with a complete clear direction from the leadership – the AICC on the matter (of allotting ticket to aspirants).
“In any constituency where we feel that the situation is not indicative of the sitting MLAs to come back, the party will decide otherwise,” Sangma said adding “So, it is not necessary that the party should give ticket only to sitting MLAs, there is a lot of choice as nobody is indispensable in an electoral battle.”
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary in-charge Meghalaya CP Joshi said that the entire picture will be known as to where these MLAs who are deserting the party will be once the election and the results are declared.
Asked whether this will affect the Congress in the upcoming polls, Joshi however said that there is nothing new for few MLAs whose mission are not fulfilled to change sides adding that only four MLAs leaving the party cannot be termed as “many”.
“There is always aberration where MLAs change sides in every election. The BJP is raking the issue to create that space what is new in it,” he said.
The BJP had also alleged that there will be landslide in the ruling Congress, where more and more MLAs are moving out of the party. It has also alleged that the Congress sitting MLAs of suffering from “mental imbalance” as they criticize the BJP during the day while contacting the high command at night for safe passage to join its fold.
When sought for his comment on this, the AICC leader however said, “I don’t want to use such derogatory words. They (BJP) can use it, but a responsible party like ours we don’t use such words it is up to them whatever mentality they are having God bless them.”
On repeated asking, the chief minister said that the party is not interested in reacting to such kind of statements as it doesn’t engage in derogatory remarks.
By Our Reporter
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