Shillong, Aug 20: The move by three of its legislators to arch-rival NPP’s camp may have come as a rude shock to the Congress, which, till the other day, was celebrating its massive victory in the Tura Lok Sabha elections, but the party leadership doesn’t appear to be taking it lying down.
“We are consulting our legal experts on the steps to be taken. We were aware of the move to defect, which is why we had suspended two of our MLAs,” said state Congress president Vincent Pala over phone from New Delhi on Monday night.
The MPCC president is said to have briefed the Congress high command on the political developments unfolding in Meghalaya where the party legislative number has shrunk to one MLA following the defections.
Money power in use to poach MLAs
Working president of the state Congress and former deputy chief minister Deborah C Marak has accused the Conrad Sangma led NPP of using money and muscle power to poach opposition legislators.
“They are poaching MLAs from other parties through the use of money and muscle power. They are even promising everything under the moon just to get the numbers,” alleged Marak.
According to the Congress leader, the NPP launched the defection game with an eye on damaging the prospects of the Congress in Gambegre since Congress continues to remain in pole position.
“They know Gambegre is a Congress bastion so they want to try and weaken the party by engineering defections,” says Deborah Marak.
“But the people of Gambegre and Garo Hills are aware of what is happening. Our voters are very wise. Meghalaya is a small state, so from where are they getting to use so much money. People are questioning them. They are demanding answers,” said Deborah Marak.
