Shillong, June 21: The opposition Congress on Wednesday said it is ready to support the National People’s Party-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government without the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Vincent H Pala told reporters that his party would be very happy if it can convince the NPP to sever ties with the BJP when responding to a query if his party would ask the NPP leadership to ask BJP to pull out of the MDA government.
“We will be very happy if we can manage to dictate (to the NPP to sever its ties with the BJP). Minus the BJP, we are ready to support and work together (with the NPP in the state), there is no doubt about it,” Pala said.
His statement also came after the Congress had supported the NPP in toppling the United Democratic Party (UDP)-led United Democratic Alliance (UDA) executive committee in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) through a No-confidence motion.
When asked on the action taken against former CLP leader Ampareen Lyngdoh and four other former MLAs of the party for supporting the NPP-led MDA government ahead of the 2023 polls, Pala however said the case relating to the five MLAs is totally different from the present case in the KHADC.
“We got the approval of the party before joining the Council (EC) but (the five former MLAs) have gone on their own (to support the MDA Govt),” he said while adding “In fact even at that point of time, we don’t have a problem of working with the NPP but because the BJP was there, we are clear that we cannot work with the BJP.”
Further, Pala said that there is no BJP in the KHADC. According to him, the CEM has been elected from the NPP and the deputy CEM will be from the Congress in the KHADC. “So whatever decision we are taking it will be for the interest of the Council,” he said.
As far as the State is concerned, the MPCC chief said that his party will remain in the opposition bench and will continue to take up various issues confronting the state and its people.
He also maintained that had the BJP been there in the KHADC, the Congress would never be ready to lend support to the NPP and said, “We are very clear that we are ready to work with anybody except the BJP”.
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. Minus the BJP, we are ready to support and work together (with the NPP in the state), there is no doubt about it,” Pala said.){kind=link}