News Analysis India

Tag: Meghalaya Congress

  • Congress to write to high command on the five suspended Meghalaya MLAs

    By PTI

    SHILLONG: The Congress, which has suspended five MLAs in Meghalaya for lending support to the ruling BJP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, on Tuesday said that it will soon submit a report to the party high command over their failure to reply to the show cause notice served to them.

    Meghalaya PCC chief Vincent H Pala said that the ten days time given to the five MLAs expired on February 24 but they are yet to respond to the show cause. AICC had show caused the five on February 14 for anti-party activity by supporting and joining the BJP-backed MDA government.

    “In view of this, we will meet on March 4 to discuss the matter and accordingly submit a report to the AICC,” he said. The decision on the next course of action will be taken by AICC, Pala said. After the Congress MLAs were suspended, CLP leader Ampareen Lyngdoh had stated that the five MLAs would take a collective decision on the matter.

    When contacted she said, “We will revert to you in 12 days.” Sources said that the suspended MLAs have already decided not to respond to the show cause notice as they have made up their minds to seek re-election from other political parties.

    Four out of five other MLAs have been given government appointments. PT Sawkmie and Mohendro Rapsang have been appointed co-chairmen of Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency and Mayralborn Syiem was appointed co-chairman of Meghalaya Industrial Development Corporation.

    Kimfa Marbaniang has been made co-chairman of Meghalaya Government Construction Company, according to a notification issued last week. Congress had won an impressive 12 seats in the 60-member house but seven of them, led by former chief minister Mukul Sangma, had quit the party and joined Trinamool Congress in November last year.

  • All 5 Meghalaya Congress MLAs face suspension for joining BJP-backed govt

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: It is just a matter of time that all five Meghalaya Congress MLAs, who ruffled quite a few feathers by joining the state’s BJP-backed government, will be suspended by the party’s central leadership.

    Meghalaya Congress president Vincent H Pala, who is also the Shillong MP, confirmed he had recommended their suspension to the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

    He said all the MLAs would be issued show-cause notices. They will be asked to explain their decision behind joining the government and if they will pull out of it. The show-cause notices are likely to be issued by Monday.

    A source close to some of the MLAs said they were unlikely to come out of the government. Speculations are rife in the state that they will defect to the National People’s Party (NPP), which heads the ruling coalition, and contest next year’s Assembly elections on its tickets.

    All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) state leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma claimed the five Congress MLAs were engaged in backdoor negotiations with the NPP, indicating possible defection.

    With less than a year left for the polls, the AITC has dramatically become a key player in the state. Twelve Congress MLAs had “merged” themselves with the AITC in November last year, making it the state’s principal opposition party and relegating the Congress to a smaller party. The AITC hardly had any base in the state until the switchover.

    Congress Legislature Party leader Ampareen Lyngdoh had earlier stated: “We haven’t ditched the party. We decided to join the government as we wanted to protect one another (five MLAs).”

    “We had suffered tremendously in developmental projects. We have been neglected as we are in the Opposition and we felt it would be better for us to partner with the government in the remaining 11 months (before elections), so our constituencies get the attention required,” Lyngdoh, who is a former minister, had stated.

  • Rahul Gandhi meets Mukul Sangma, Vincent Pala to end ‘rift’ in Meghalaya Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress appears to have averted a crisis in its Meghalaya unit ahead of bypolls in three Assembly seats after Rahul Gandhi met former chief minister Mukul Sangma and the party’s state president Vincent H Pala on Sunday.

    The former chief minister and Congress Legislature Party leader Mukul M Sangma and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Vincent H Pala had not been getting along well ever since the latter was appointed the new Meghalaya unit chief.

    Sangma had also stated that the party leadership did not consult him on Pala’s appointment.

    There was speculation that Sangma may defect to the Trinamool Congress.

    The two leaders however came together on Saturday and decided to work together for the upcoming bye-elections.

    “Rahul Gandhi met Meghalaya Congress president Vincent Pala and CLP leader Mukul Sangma, along with Meghalaya in-charge Manish Chatrath and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal at his residence,” the Congress said.

    They also shared pictures of the leaders together after the meeting. Meanwhile, the Congress finalised its candidates for the upcoming bypolls in Meghalaya.

    While Highlander Kharmalki will contest from the Mawryngkneng-ST seat, Kennedy C Khriem will contest from the Mawphlang-ST constituency and Hashina Yasmin Mondal from the Rajbala constituency.