Meghalaya chief minister faces revolt

A revolt is brewing in the ruling Congress in Meghalaya against Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, with senior party leaders from the state meeting party president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday with their grievances.

Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee chief D.D. Lapang, former chief minister Salseng C. Marak and Transport Minister H.D.R. Lyngdoh met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, expressing displeasure at the style of functioning of Sangma.

"We met madam (Sonia Gandhi) and exchanged views on the current political situation in Meghalaya that included discussions on law and order, the decline and decay of the Congress party at all levels in the state and other related matters," Lyngdoh told IANS over phone.

"We are hopeful that the party high command will take steps to remedy the situation in the state that includes change of the present leadership," he added.

The Congress is already struggling with dissent in Maharashtra, Haryana and Assam, with the first two states facing assembly elections in the next few months.

Wednesday's meeting was the second between the rebel Congress legislators from Meghalaya and Sonia Gandhi on the issue.

A fortnight ago, Congress legislators had met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi about the growing dissent within the party.

IANS was unable to reach the chief minister for his comments.

However, Congress legislators, who are Sangma's loyalists, felt that the rebel Congress legislators should have first taken up their grievances with the chief minister.

"Being senior legislators they could have discussed their problems with the chief minister and sorted out their issues with him," a Sangma loyalist said on condition of anonymity.

The rift within the party surfaced during the Lok Sabha election when some party legislators and ministers openly worked against Vincent H. Pala, the official Congress candidate from Shillong parliamentary constituency.

In the 60-member legislature, the Congress is the single largest party with 29 seats - two short of majority. The Nationalist Congress Party, which has two seats, and 11 Independent legislators is extending support to the Congress.