SHILLONG, OCT 25: People’s Democratic Front (PDF) leader and cabinet minister Hamletson Dohling today claimed that the party has refrained from expelling the MDCs because it doesn’t want to tarnish their image ahead of the upcoming 2019 elections to the KHADC.
“We do not want to take any hasty decision on the matter as we are not a party which is interested in destroying or tarnishing their (MDCs) image and prestige especially when elections are just round the corner,” Dohling told reporters here on Wednesday.
His statement came a day after four members of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) which include Latiplang Kharkongor, James Sylliang, Blanding Warjri and Grace Mary Kharpuri quit the PDF citing leadership failure as the main reason.
Three of the four – Latiplang, James and Blanding – were still under suspension for their alleged anti-party activities by extending support to the Khasi Hills Democratic Alliance (KHDA) executive committee led by Hispreaching Son Shylla of the NPP.
Their sudden resignations also came at a time when the sub-committee of four MLAs, which was tasked to come up with a solution to resolve the “misunderstanding”, is in the process of submitting its report to the party’s central working committee for necessary action.
“We will immediately submit our report once our colleague (Mawkynrew MLA Banteidor Lyngdoh, who recently went to Paris) is back in the state,” Dohling said.
Asked whether the party has accepted the resignation letter of the MDCs, the PDF leader said that the party is yet to sit on the matter adding it is sad that the MDCs had taken such decision.
Responding to a query if the party would request the MDCs to withdraw their resignations, he said that it is for the central working committee of the party to take a call on the matter.
“However, we will respect their decision as it is not wise to force anybody not to leave. I wish all of them the best,” Dohling said.
Refusing to admit that it is a set back to the PDF, the urban affairs minister said that this problem (of MDCs joining other parties) is common in all the political parties in the state with the absence of an anti-defection law in the autonomous district councils (ADCs).
“Therefore it is high time that the anti-defection law is introduced in all the three ADCs in the state to prevent defection and ensure stability,” he asserted.
On the allegations that the party was partial by failing to take action against the other five MDCs who recently took a similar decision to support the Shylla-led EC, Dohling however said, “The five MDCs have informed the party’s president and secretary on their decision to support the EC while those who were suspended did it without the knowledge of the party leadership.”
“In fact, the party has refrained itself from expelling them. We prefer to take things slow because we wanted normalcy to come back in the party,” he said.
Alleging the PDF to be a divided house with lack of leadership quality, the four MDCs had also predicted that it would be very difficult for the PDF to perform well in the upcoming MDC elections.
Reacting to this, Dohling said, “Only time will tell because the fact is every political party will always be determined to put up a tough fight in elections.”
By Our Reporter
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