NCP ready to bail out Rymbai,Rymbai camps claim the numbers

Shillong, Jan 11 (UNI) The opposition Nationalist Congress Party in Meghalaya today said they were ready to extend support to beleaguered Chief Minister J D Rymbai to retain power, a senior NCP leader said.

The NCP's offer assumed significance in the wake of AICC chief Sonia Gandhi's directive to Mr Rymbai to convene a Congress Legislature Party meeting to elect a new leader.

The crucial party's legislature meet slated on January 17 would decide the fate of three warring leaders--Mr Rymbai, his predecessor Mr D D Lapang and for Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Mukul M Sangma.

Senior AICC leaders Oscar Fernandez and Major (retd) Ved Prakash would be present in the meeting to iron out the pending leadership issue.

''If Mr Rymbai needs our help we will surely throw our support to him,'' NCP legislator Edmund K Sangma told UNI over phone from Garo Hills.

The NCP has eight MLAs in the 60-member house.

''So far, Congress leaders from the Rymbai camp have not sent any SOS to us,'' he said, adding that the NCP would surely rescue him if need arises.

However, the Rymbai-group seems least bothered with the NCP offer. ''At this juncture, we don't need the support of the NCP,'' state Minister in-charge Public Health Engineering Prestone Tynsong told UNI here.

''We have the required numbers and if they want to support the government, they are always welcome,'' Mr Tynsong stated.

Mr Rymbai enjoys the support of 15 Congress MLAs while his bete-noire Mr Lapang has the support of 12 Congress legislators, including Deputy Speaker Phingwell Muktieh.

However, the Congress regional partners, with 16 MLAs in the government, backed Mr Rymbai urged the Congress to stop this "political wrangling" for sake of the state's development.

Earlier, Ms Gandhi had sent Maj Prakash, the party observer for the state, here to find an amicable solution among the warring groups but the effect went in vain.

The political bickering had been lingering between the two warring factions ever since Mr Rymbai assumed power replacing Mr Lapang last June.

UNI