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‘Meghalaya Congress legislators have accepted our ideology’, says top BJP leader
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secretary-in-charge of Meghalaya, Dr Chuba Ao said that the party has no problem with the Congress legislators joining the ruling alliance, however adding that chief minister Conrad K Sangma ought to have informed the coalition partners about the development.
SHILLONG: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secretary-in-charge of Meghalaya, Dr Chuba Ao on Friday said that the entry of the state’s five Congress legislators into the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) fold is a clear indication that they have accepted the saffron party’s ideology and hence the question of the BJP pulling out of the government does not arise.
“We cannot pull out (of the MDA government). It is out of the question,” Dr Ao told journalists after a party meeting to dwell over the political developments in the state.
The meeting, which was attended by the party’s two legislators and core committee members, however, resolved to write a letter to chief minister Conrad K Sangma seeking clarification on his decision to accept the support extended by the Congress legislators to the MDA government.
A delegation of all five Congress legislators in Meghalaya, led by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ampareen Lyngdoh, handed over a letter of support to Sangma-led MDA government on Friday.
BJP state president Ernest Mawrie said that the party being a coalition partner of the MDA government was not informed about the decision. “Therefore, we have decided to write an official letter to the chief minister on Monday, seeking his clarification on the joining of the Congress MLAs with the MDA government,” he said, adding “we have already sent feedback to our central leaders in Delhi, and we are waiting for their reply.”
Asked whether the BJP is willing to work with the Congress in Meghalaya, Dr Ao said that it is not the BJP, but the Congress which is willing to work with the BJP despite knowing fully well that the BJP is part of the MDA government.
“Knowingly they (Congress MLAs) came to support the government, they understood that they can work with us. It is not that we are inviting them, or we are calling them,” he said.
“They may be elected from the Congress, but they have accepted our common minimum program, that is why they have come. They have accepted our ideology. If they have not accepted, they would not have come,” the senior BJP leader said.
“The NPP (National People’s Party), BJP, HSPDP (Hill State People’s Democratic Party), PDF (People’s Democratic Front), UDP (United Democratic Party) have set up an understanding that we will run a particular way of government. So, tomorrow TMC may also support if they accept our ideology,” Dr Ao quipped.
Saying that the BJP’s agenda is Congress-mukt, he said there is no harm in them joining the MDA government as a Congress-mukt Meghalaya is already underway. He reminded that the Congress now has been reduced to zero in Meghalaya with the unconditional support of the five legislators.
“Their organisation structure has totally collapsed. (Their MLAs) have to either go to BJP or NPP,” he said, adding that the five legislators have decided to support the MDA government because they understand that they cannot survive with the Congress.
With the Congress likely to act against the five legislators, the BJP leader however said that the MLAs have done lots of exercise before taking the decision to support the MDA government without the consent of their party leadership.
Saying that the party has no problem with the Congress legislators joining the ruling alliance, Dr Ao, however, felt that the chief minister ought to have at least informed the coalition partners about the development.
“(We) have decided to write a letter as it should be on official record as we are a party, and we should have every right to know what is going on in the government. That is why we must write and after that what kind of reply will come that we do not know,” he explained.
