Former CM calls speculation sign of coalition’s lack of cohesiveness
Shillong, Sept 3: Rejecting reports of TMC legislators merging with the BJP, Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma on Wednesday said his party is firm in the Opposition and that such speculation reflects internal incoherence in the ruling coalition.
“As far as members of the TMC are concerned, I must say with conviction that we remain glued to our responsibility as members of the Opposition and we will continue to work accordingly,” Sangma said.
He said parties will try to expand, but manipulating electoral mandates harms democracy.
“Every political party will try to expand their reach… but manipulating the mandate is a dangerous trend and it doesn’t augur well for democracy,” he said, citing examples from Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi, including an AAP MP who recently joined BJP.
“These are things which are reflective of the new trend of political poaching which can have ramification on diluting and manoeuvring with the mandate of the nation,” he said.
On whether the development threatens the NPP-led government, he said, “We cannot rule out anything but as of now… I don’t think there is a threat to the current dispensation. It seems to be an offshoot of lack of cohesiveness in the present coalition dispensation.”
“It is definitely a matter of concern… but I would not like to comment on that because it’s the internal matter of the parties involved,” he said, adding in simple terms it “only reflects the lack of cohesiveness in the present coalition dispensation.”
On BJP approaching TMC, Sangma said, “I think that effort was there before, but they also know my stand and our stand… respecting each other’s stand, political stand, political strategy, I think it is very important in democracy.”
Describing the national political scenario as “abnormally abnormal”, Sangma said poaching of MPs has wider ramifications than that of MLAs since Parliament has the power to amend the Constitution and such manoeuvres affect the mandate of the nation.
“When it happens at national level involving elected members of Parliament, the end result of such political manoeuvre is definitely unprecedented and is dangerous because it affects the mandate of the nation. It has its bearing on the actual mandate because the power of the state legislature and the power of the Parliament, these are two different things. The Parliament has the power to amend the Constitution, therefore you have to understand the ramification of manipulation of the mandate,” he said.
“There are times when members belonging to political parties do decide, shift and merge with different political parties but it has to be based on some reason, some intended end result, which one should look at in totality from the perspective of the interest of the people and the state as a whole but if it is for a makeshift arrangement and if it is for the purpose of being in power, that is different. There is something which is considered as abnormal,” he added.
