SHILLONG, April 9 – Notwithstanding alliances elsewhere in the country, the tussle between the ruling Congress and the Opposition NCP continued in Meghalaya with the former seeking disqualification of the latter’s five legislators on the ground of allegedly supporting NTC leader Purno A Sangma in the coming Lok Sabha polls, reports PTI.
Two senior ministers of Congress in Meghalaya – Tony Curti Lyngdoh and Sayeedullah Nongrum – in a joint complaint to Assembly Speaker Martin M Danggo sought diqualification of membership of five NCP MLAS who, they said, were still ‘supporting’ Sangma. Assembly Secretary NST Khongjee confirmed to PTI here Thursday that Danggo received the complaint here Wednesday. The Speaker was not immediately available.
The Congress complaint alleged five NCP MLAs- Edmund K Sangma, Masongsing Sangma,, Admiral Marak, Timothy D Shira and Gopinath Sangma - were extending ‘open support’ to Purno A Sangm ignoring a directive from NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to support the Congress in the Parliamentary polls.
Incidentally, these five legislators were not given any significant posts in the newly-constituted NCP State unit after Pawar had dissolved the earlier one headed by Edmund K Sangma. In the 60-member House, NCP has at present a strength of eight MLAs of which three have been accommodated in the new committee headed by Monindra Rava.
The Assembly Secretary refused to divulge what action would be taken against the five MLAs. None of the five MLAs were not immediately available for comments.