No going back to Congress, Sangma

Shillong, July 17 (UNI) Former Lok Sabha Speaker and NCP leader Purno Agitok Sangma today said he does not have any intention of joining the Congress.

''There is no need for me to jump from one party to another,'' Mr Sangma told UNI over telephone, brushing claims made by Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president Onward L Nongtdu that he would rejoin the Congress.

''I don't know on what ground Mr Nongtdu talked about me joining the Congress,'' the tribal Lok Sabha member, representing Garo Hills constituency in Meghalaya, said.

Last week, Mr Nongtdu, who was touring Garo Hills with state Chief Minister J D Rymbai, told party functionaries at Congress Bhawan in Tura that Mr Sangma would return to the Congress.

However, the former Lok Sabha Speaker, who quit the Congress on the issue of foreign origin, made it clear there was no question of him going back to the Congress.

''There is no question for me going back to the Congress or joining the BJP. I have changed so many political parties,'' he said.

Mr Sangma was the co-founder of NCP after he alongwith Mr Sharad Pawar and Mr Tariq Anwar were expelled from the Congress for opposing Ms Sonia Gandhi becoming Prime Minister due to her foreign origin.

In January, 2004, the Garo leader quit the NCP because he felt Mr Pawar was getting closer to the Congress in spite of no change of leadership in the party.

Then later, Mr Sangma merged his groups with Ms Mamata Banerjee and formed the Nationalist Trinamool Congress.

However, the former Lok Sabha Speaker returned to the NCP fold on December, 2005 and then contested the Lok Sabha byelection on February 16 this year defeating his rival Congress candidate Dr Mukul Manda Sangma with a thumping margin.

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