In a blow to the NCP in Meghalaya, the Congress on Saturday clinched the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) after seven NCP members switched to the Congress side taking its tally to 18 in the 30-member council.
NCP member of district council (MDC) c who switched to the Congress few days back along with six other members was elected Chief Executive Member of the council during a special session convened on the directions of Governor R S Mooshahary.
The GHADC was kept under animated suspension since April last year in the wake of instability set off after allegations that the NCP had clinged to power despite losing majority.
All the 11 NCP members, however, skipped Saturday's special session of the council.
On Friday, NCP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma had slammed the Congress-led Meghalaya government saying it had no 'respect for democracy', a day after NCP’s state unit Working President E K Sangma and the seven MDCs had joined the Congress.
P A Sangma, on whose home turf Garo Hills the Congress has made penetration, said the state government was trying to forcibly install the executive committee of the GHADC and claimed the move was in violation of a recent Gauhati High Court ruling that had asked the government to maintain status quo.
{{/usCountry}}P A Sangma, on whose home turf Garo Hills the Congress has made penetration, said the state government was trying to forcibly install the executive committee of the GHADC and claimed the move was in violation of a recent Gauhati High Court ruling that had asked the government to maintain status quo.
{{/usCountry}}"A division bench of the Gauhati High Court had ruled that till the inquiry into the alleged financial irregularities in the GHADC is over, there cannot be any installation of the executive council (EC)", the NCP leader said.
"The government’s move to install the EC is purely violation of the court verdict. The NCP will file a contempt of court against the government," he said.