Shillong, Aug 10: Congress chief Vincent H Pala on Monday asserted the party was not losing voters but was being weakened by internal betrayals and defections, even as he expressed confidence in the party’s revival ahead of the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha polls.
“The weakness of the Congress is not because of the voters, it is because of leaders who get bought. People need to understand that if the Congress is weakened, then the community will also suffer,” Pala said.
He also urged the electorate to scrutinize such defections ahead of the election.
“So, people need to think about those who defect and those who get bought — who is buying them, whose money is it. People must think carefully about that,” Pala said.
Despite the setbacks, the Congress chief expressed optimism about a revival.
“When I go around, I see that people still love the Congress, but they are being misled by a few individuals. We were defeated for some time, but you can see the Congress will rise again,” Pala said.
“I have just come from Delhi and I can see it will rise again, and I am hopeful we will reach the position the Congress was once in. We were able to govern well and in a way that was better for the people.”
Shillong Lok Sabha byelection
Pala also said the party has intensified preparations for the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha byelection, adding that the organizational setup for the bypoll was largely complete.
“We have already organized the party at the district and block levels. Now at the booth level, we are on the job. From our side, we are in full swing with preparations,” Pala said.
On the electoral rolls, he added that the party was closely monitoring the Special Summary Revision.
“We have got information from the DC office, and from the blocks as well. I think this SIR will be completed soon, by October 7 it will be fully done,” he said.
