Senior Meghalaya Congress leader and MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh has hinted at “moving on and serve the people” of the state, if she receives a suspension letter.
Speaking to this correspondent, Meghalaya MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh, although did not specifically stated her plans, but hinted at joining a different party.
She said: “We don’t know if it is true (approval of suspension by AICC). We are seeing it only in media reports. But if it’s true, then a three-year suspension is a big thing.”
“Three-year suspension means they (Congress) don’t want us to give party tickets for the 2023 Assembly elections as well as 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” the ‘suspended’ Meghalaya Congress MLA said.
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However, Ampareen Lyngdoh added that she would have to take into consideration her political career and wishes of the people, if the “three-year suspension reports are true”.
She added: “Right now we are being patient. We are not taking any decision. Let’s wait and see what happens next.”
Stating that “not any particular party can decide the fate of the people”, Amapreen Lyngdoh asserted that she will contest the 2023 Meghalaya Assembly elections.
“People will decide our (five ‘suspended’ Congress MLAs) fate, not us or any particular political party,” Lyngdoh said.
“As things stand today, we (five suspended Congress MLAs) are in a very crazy situation. Technically we are still members of the Congress party,” Meghalaya MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh added.
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When asked directly on whether the Congress party is suffering from a leadership crisis, the Meghalaya Congress MLA denied to comment on the matter saying that she is still a member of the grand-old party.
“I can’t comment on that (leadership crisis) because technically I am still a member of the Congress party,” Ampareen Lyngdoh said.
However, she said that the Congress party is going through the worst phase in the country’s political history.
“In the 2018 Meghalaya Assembly elections, the Congress had won 22 seats. Now it is left with only five MLAs. So, you can make out what kind of phase it is going through,” Ampareen Lyngdoh said.
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Commenting on the five Congress MLAs supporting the NPP-led Meghalaya government, Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the ‘suspended’ legislators took a “responsible decision”.
“Our party president was removed from his position. Then only one man (referring to Meghalaya Congress president Vincent Pala) was calling the shots. We were pushed to the corner,” Ampareen Lyngdoh said.
She added: “We had to take a decision. We decided to support the MDA government after two meetings with majority of the party leaders gave us a go ahead.”
Notably, five Meghalaya Congress legislators were reportedly suspended from the party for supporting the NPP-led MDA government in Meghalaya, of which BJP is a partner.