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Pala wonders why Mukul Sangma won’t take his calls
Pala, once again, iterated that he had made several attempts to reach out and connect with Dr Sangma but “unfortunately” it did not fructify.
Politics in Meghalaya is churning out another potpourri of action with the open spat between Shillong MP and new Meghalaya Congress president Vincent H Pala and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Dr Mukul Sangma.
Pala, once again, iterated that he had made several attempts to reach out and connect with Dr Sangma but “unfortunately” it did not fructify.
“I tried to meet him since I reached Shillong. I went to his house also, but I couldn’t meet him… they said he is in Tura,” Pala told HT over the phone late night while returning to Shillong from Delhi after a brief detour to share a quick meal with chief minister Conrad Sangma at a premier hotel in Guwahati.
He said that even his messages failed to elicit any response from Dr Sangma. “I don’t know why he’s not replying. If you call me and I don’t answer, don’t I always call you back even if it is late?” he said, adding, “It’s ok, let’s leave that behind now, I will meet him at the PEC meeting later.”
The PEC (Party Election Committee) meeting is scheduled for 11 am today at the sprawling Windermere Estate owned by Congress legislator from Nongthymmai, Charles Pyngrope.
“It’s a brief 10-15 minutes meeting to select the candidates for the three bye-elections, I don’t think it is going to take long. I will meet Doctor after that,” Pala said.
When asked about his visit to Delhi, he said it was related to a pre-scheduled Parliament Committee meeting and nothing else.
“I did not meet anyone from the AICC, and I returned soon after my work to be on time for the PEC meeting,” he said.
On being queried about the news of Dr Sangma possibly parting ways with the party and looking at more viable options, the politician said he was made aware of this through media reports. He replied, “Is it true? I know that he (Mukul) said he was going to Delhi to meet with the AICC leaders, what they discussed I am not aware really.”
Meanwhile, all eyes are on the astute politician and his every move will remain under scrutiny. According to a person close to Dr Sangma, who is known to be extremely good at keeping secrets, “this time he is keeping all his cards really close to his chest, I doubt it if even his family knows anything”.
