”We are warning the Assam Congress not to play dirty politics in Meghalaya or we would play the same tricks in Assam Congress, especially during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” MPA spokesperson and Finance Minister, Conrad K Sangma said.
Mr Sangma’s statement came a day after Assam Health Minister and Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, facilitated the resignation of two independent legislators– Limison Sangma and Ismail R Marak– from the ruling MPA in Guwahati.
An upset Chief Minister Donkupar Roy alleged that the Assam Congress, by holding a democratically-elected government to ransom, was ‘’souring” the inter-state relationship between Meghalaya and Assam.
”This is not a healthy sign and we don’t expect (Assam Congress) to topple the democratically-elected government in Meghalaya,” Dr Roy told reporters after chairing a crisis management meeting at his residence last evening.
All the coalition members of the MPA gave a written assurance to the Chief Minister that they were ”committed” to fulfil their pledge in completing the five-year term.
”The people of Meghalaya elected its legislators, therefore, Assam Congress has no right to play divisive politics in Meghalaya,” Dr Roy, who is also the President of the United Democratic Party (UDP), said.
Dr Roy claimed that the Congress in Meghalaya had a ”weak” leader in DD Lapang and was desperate in looking for support from Assam.
Leader of Opposition and Congress leader DD Lapang, however, rubbished his rivals’ views and said the Congress was a ”family” and so there was no harm in seeking help from the Assam Congress.
”Mr Sarma is a trusted man of the Congress and the AICC also entrusted him to look into the party’s affairs in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh,” Mr Lapang said.