Shillong, Dec 3: Fuelling further the speculation about his homecoming to Congress, former assembly speaker and current president of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Charles Pyngrope on Tuesday said, “Congress in Meghalaya needs a good captain.”
However, the former prominent Congress leader made it clear that he had not yet given any thought of leaving Trinamool Congress at the moment.
Pyngrope, who represents Nongthymmai constituency in Shillong, is the party’s lone MLA from Khasi-Jaintia Hills region with former chief minister Mukul Sangma holding the forte in Garo Hills while also serving as Leader of Opposition.
“They all left me, what can I do. I couldn’t stop them,” was the reaction of the former Assembly Speaker when asked about the recent dissolution of the AITC unit in his constituency.
“At the moment I am alone. Last samurai standing,” he said while maintaining, “I am still the president of Trinamool Congress.”
Asked about any plan to join Congress, he said he has not yet received any official communication from any other political party.
“I have not been contacted officially by anybody whether it is Congress, NPP, VPP or the BJP,” he said.
However, he sounded positive about Congress as a possible platform to explore in future.
“Right from 2022, I said that Congress must get its act together,” he said adding that when someone asked him as he left the party “is Congress a sinking ship” he had said, “The ship will never sink, it just needs a good captain, who can steer the ship.”
“I was at the party for the past 30 years. In fact, I am out of the party for only just a year and a half till now,” he mentioned.
Avoiding any comment on the question if the incumbent Congress chief Vincent H Pala should be removed to strengthen the party, Pyngrope said, “I am no one to judge that to begin with but the procedure has to be followed. Procedure in the constitution of Indian National Congress is very clear that every block, which means every constituency, has to have a president and a team elected by the registered party members from that block.”
Pyngrope said everything would fall into place for the Congress once procedure is followed.
“The Congress is a party, it’s a grand old party but we just can’t live with its laurels alone. You have to move with the times but number one is, follow the rules,” he said.
Asserting that he has no complaints against AITC leadership, Pyngrope said, “Whenever I need to interact with them, they are always there… so how can I say that there is lack of coordination.
Pyngrope also refuted allegations about differences between him and LoP Mukul Sangma.
