Cong calls ex-Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma to Delhi amid talks of him joining Trinamool

Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has been called to Delhi amid reports of him joining the Trinamool Congress. He is likely to meet Sonia Gandhi on Monday and convey his grievances.

New Delhi: Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has been called to Delhi amid reports of him joining the Trinamool Congress. He is likely to meet Sonia Gandhi on Monday and convey his grievances. Sangma is said to be upset over the appointment of Shillong MP Vincent H. Pala as the State President. Congress Meghalaya in-charge Manish Chatrath, however, said there was no problem in the state and all issues have been sorted out.

The move to call him to Delhi was made by the Congress leadership to stop Sangma from leaving the party after the exit of former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Falerio, who has now joined the Trinamool ahead of the polls in the state.

Sources said that after the exit of Falerio and Sushmita Dev, Sonia Gandhi is personally trying pacify the leaders and put the house in order in the Northeast as once the entire region was a Congress stronghold and now the BJP has captured the entire Northeast with the help of Himanta Biswa Sarma, a former Congress leader and now Assam Chief Minister.

The former Meghalaya Chief Minister and Congress leader Mukul Sangma reportedly met Trinamool's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata triggering speculation amid a reported rift within the Congress in the Northeastern state. Sangma had termed it as a courtesy meeting. Though officially the Trinamool leaders and the possible turncoats are not confirming about their joining, according to unconfirmed reports, there was some dialogue between them and the Trinamool Congress leadership in Kolkata.

A Congress leader close to Sangma said the party high command in Delhi did not keep Sangma in the loop while recently choosing Vincent H. Pala, also a Lok Sabha member, as the state party President. Congress Meghalaya in-charge Manish Chatrath said there was no problem in the state and all issues have been sorted out . The Congress has 17 members in the 60-member Assembly in which 13 MLAs are with the former Chief Minister.

IANS