Rebellion in the ruling Congress against Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma is refusing to die, with a group of dissident MLAs still camping in New Delhi demanding change in leadership in the state.
It has been over four months since the detractors of Sangma are making manoeuvres seeking a change in the Congress Legislature Party leader, frequently visiting the national capital to air their grievances against the chief minister before AICC leaders.
Following a visit by AICC members-in-charge (Meghalaya) Dhaniram Shandil and Sanjay Bapna to the state to review the political situation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi called state party president on Friday Lyngdoh to discuss the matter.
Mr Lyngdoh, after meeting Gandhi in May, had ruled out any possibility of a change in leadership saying the party was being affected by the political instability in the state.
“The AICC president is very clear that there would not be any change in the CLP leader,” he had said.
Chief minister Mukul Sangma, also camping in New Delhi, had met Shandil on last Friday.
Meanwhile, state rural development minister F.W. Momin, camping in the national capital along with some other dissident Congress MLA, said, “Sangma has lost majority. We want a change of leadership and immediate holding of Congress Legislature Party meeting to elect a new chief minister.” Mr Momin claimed that six of the nine ministers of the Mukul Sangma government, including deputy chief minister Rowel Lyngdoh, have lost confidence in the chief minister and want a change of leadership. MLA and political advisor to the chief minister Sayeedullah Nongrum said a memorandum, signed by all 18 rebel MLAs, has been submitted to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi urging her to replace Mr Sangma.
“Sangma’s style of functioning is totally autocratic, vindicative and he has been involved in rampant corruption besides hobnobbing with the insurgents,” Mr Nongrum alleged.
Mr Sangma sworn in as chief minister on April 20, 2010, after 21 of the 28 Congress legislators revolted against then chief minister D.D. Lapang.
Earlier, Shandil and Sanjay Bapna, who visited Meghalaya in April, had also submitted a report on the political developments in the state to the party high command. An aide of the chief minister said that Mukul Sangma might affect a Cabinet reshuffle soon to please some of the disgruntled MLAs. “He has discussed the matter with some AICC leaders and is awaiting a nod from the Congress high command,” the aide said.