GUWAHATI: With the Congress being reduced to a shadow of its glorious past in Meghalaya, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is trying hard to grow, with the readily available help being provided by a crumbling grand old party. The TMC is looking at its brightening chances of emerging as an alternative to the National People’s Party (NPP), which currently heads the state’s coalition government.
The BJP and some regional parties are the other components of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance. In November last year, 12 of the 17 Congress MLAs had defected to the Trinamool, thereby dramatically making the Mamata Banerjee-led party the state’s principal opposition force overnight. It had no presence in the state prior to this “political coup”.
Even as the Congress was licking its wounds, its five remaining MLAs “unilaterally” decided to join the BJP-backed Conrad K Sangma government. It forced Congress to suspend them from the party for three years.
The Trinamool is now looking to grab the space left vacant by the dismal presence of Congress. Over the past six months or so, it has been vociferous in the state’s political landscape, attacking the government, particularly on the issue of corruption. It is also trying to dispel the notion that it is a “Bangla” party, in which everything will be controlled from Kolkata if it rises to power in Meghalaya. During his visit to Shillong in June, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee had told a crowd: “Some people will try to brand us (Trinamool) as a Bengali party, but let me assure you that Meghalaya will be run by the people of Meghalaya and not by the Bengalis.”
The Sangma government is facing charges of corruption, particularly in the power sector. Buckling under pressure, it has ordered separate investigations. The Trinamool Congress has made corruption its poll plank. Party leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an investigation by a central agency into alleged corruption in the implementation of some projects and schemes by the power department in the state.
Meghalaya has three regions – Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills. Eight of the 12 Trinamool Congress MLAs hail from the Garo Hills and four of them belong to the family of Mukul Sangma. The party has three MLAs from Khasi Hills and one from Jaintia Hills.
Observers feel that the Trinamool Congress will have to move heaven and earth to be able to put up a fight against the ruling coalition, let alone unseat it and capture power. While the party is on a firm footing in Garo Hills, it hardly has any base in Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
Even as it is working hard to spread its limbs to Khasi and Jaintia Hills, speculations are rife that two MLAs from these regions will jump ship and contest the polls on the tickets of another party. According to observers, the immediate challenge for the Trinamool will be to keep its house in order.
Toki Blah, a political scientist, said it is too early to make any predictions on the elections. “The voting pattern in Meghalaya is individual-oriented, not party-oriented. So unless you know the candidates, it is difficult to make any predictions on party lines,” he told this newspaper.
Trinamool raises pitch against govt
Over the past six months or so, the Trinamool Congress has become more vociferous in the state’s political landscape, attacking the government, particularly on the issue of corruption. It is also trying to dispel the notion that it is a “Bangla” party, in which everything will be controlled from Kolkata if it rises to power in Meghalaya.