SHILLONG:
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ampareen Lyngdoh, on February 9, warned of further damage to the party, if the leadership does not respect the decision of the five legislators.
“You did not mandate us to the Legislative Assembly, you have to remember that. And if five elected MLAs are telling you that this is the way to go forward and you still don’t want to listen, then you will be responsible for any further damage of the party in the state,” Lyngdoh told reporters, on February 9.
Stating that the word “action” is inappropriate, the CLP leader said that in the state, it’s the MLAs who give directions to the party, not the other way round.
She was reacting to a statement made by the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Vincent H Pala that action will be taken against the five legislators for “anti-party activity” by extending support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-backed NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
“I do not take the bait that there is a BJP tag in any of these movements; please stop joking with us. The two BJP MLAs in the coalition is none of our problem,” Lyngdoh said adding “Congress is not interested on who you are going to talk or who are you going to dine with, we are interested in creating a strategic location for ourselves.”
Asking the All India Congress Committee (AICC) “not to disturb”, Lyngdoh said, “We are survivors, we don’t want to fight any system, but it’s about time the elected members of the party tell the AICC that you cannot dictate terms to us.”
She said the five legislators are trying to show the way forward for the Congress in the state. “We will not desert you; we will not ditch you, but you can no longer control us, listen to our advice because that is going to be good for the party,” she added.