Oscar to attend tomorrow's crucial CLP meeting in Meghalaya

Shillong, June 11 (UNI) AICC leader in-charge of Meghalaya, Oscar Fernandes, will arrive here tomorrow to attend the crucial Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting to discuss the leadership change issue in the state.

The special CLP meeting will be attended by all 29 Congress MLAs and by AICC Secretary in-charge of Meghalaya, Maj Ved Prakash, and Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Onwardly Nongtdu.

Mr Fernandes' visit was necessitated after rebel Congress MLAs, on June 6, informed AICC president Sonia Gandhi they were replaing Chief Minister D D Lapang with Meghalaya Parliamentary Affairs Minister and veteran Congress leader J D Rymbai as leader of the CLP.

At least 20 rebel Congress MLAs said they did not have faith in the leadership of Mr Lapang and accused him of indulging in ''manipulative politics.'' Last night Maj Ved Prakash met Mr Lapang, Mr Nongtdu and at least 16 dissident Congress MLAs at a hotel here.

The rebel legislators, led by former Home Minister Robert G Lyngdoh met Maj Prakash separately and demanded replacement of Mr Lapang as a solution to the political crisis in the Congress party.

After one-and-half-hour meeting with the dissident MLAs, the AICC leader also met Mr Lapang with his cabinet colleagues and Mr Nongtdu and discussed the issue raised by the rebel group.

Maj Prakash told UNI here today that the issue raised by the dissident MLAs needed further discussions.

''If at all a new leader is to be elected, it will be a consensus and endorsed by 29 Congress legislators,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Lapang is making all efforts to keep his loyalists intact, amid rumours of resorting to ''horse trading'' now.

''He (Mr Lapang) is putting all efforts to woo some of the legislators with ministerial berths and plum portfolios,'' said rebel Congress MLA and MPCC vice president Tonsing N Marak.

Mr Marak said the dissident MLAs decided that they would not succumb to Mr Lapang's offer. Instead, he said Mr Lapang should step down ''gracefully'' after losing his majority.

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