Dissidence in the ruling Congress in Meghalaya seems to have gained momentum, particularly after the party’s humiliating defeat in the recent by-election to the Tura lok Sabha seat. Chief Minister Mukul Sangma might be insisting he would continue to be in office but the dissident camp hopes that the party high command will not ignore their demand for a leadership change.
Some influential State Congress leaders have also written to party chief Sonia Gandhi saying they are worried that “the BJP is camping in Shillong” and looking to stir trouble for the State Government. The letter was written on Monday, just two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Shillong to mark two years of his Government.
Following its historic win in Assam, the BJP has already declared that it would now focus on consolidating its position in the rest of the North-East.
Fear of losing the State Assembly polls in 2018 has gripped most of the Congress legislators from the Garo Hills region in the State after the party lost to NPP candidate Conrad Sangma in the by-election for Tura lok Sabha seat. The Congress had put up Chief Minister’s wife Dikkanchi D’ Shira in the fray and campaigned aggressively to ensure her win.
Dissidence in the Congress in Meghalaya has been brewing for months, particularly due to alleged ‘dictatorial’ functioning of the Chief Minister. The dissident leaders are backing former Meghalaya Chief Minister DD lapang to take charge ahead of the 2018 polls.
“The Congress has been in power in the State since 2008. However, the people are not happy, particularly due to the dictatorial attitude of the Chief Minister and his ‘show-off’ politics,” said a dissident Congress leader, who claimed to have the support of 14 of the 30 Congress legislators in the State. Out of the 30 Congress legislators in the House, 14 legislators represent Assembly segments under Tura lok Sabha constituency.
“So far we are dedicated Congress workers but we may have to think in other line if the party high command does not pay heed to our demand,” said he, adding that the Congress in Meghalaya will suffer the fate of Assam if there is no change in party leadership.
The letter to Sonia and vice President Rahul Gandhi details the fragile state of the Congress in Meghalaya, where it rules with the help of allies - it has just 30 MlAs in the 60-member State Assembly, and is now grappling with rebellion in a replay of recent revolts in Congress Governments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
“The BJP is camping in Shillong and are in connivance with two Cabinet Ministers,” the letter says, detailing an alleged meeting of State Congress chief DD lapang with senior BJP leader Ram Madhav and Himanta Biswa, the party’s newly acquired strategist in Assam who now heads a North-East alliance announced by the BJP.
Among those named in the letter is former Union Minister Vincent Pala who had recently met Rahul Gandhi to complain against Mukul Sangma.
While Mukul Sangma described the letter as an “internal exercise” and said “there are always people with evil designs, but my Government is stable”, Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev in New Delhi said the party is handling the development at the AICC level and hoped the BJP does not attempt to precipitate a crisis as they have attempted to do in the past.