Singh and Prakash to attend CLP meet in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 16 (UNI) The Congress Legislature Party meeting, to put an end to the political imbroglio over leadership issue, will be held here tomorrow under AICC observers.

The issue had been reeling Meghalaya since June 2006.

The meeting would decide the fate of Chief Minister J D Rymbai and his predecessor D D Lapang along with former deputy chief minister Mukul M Sangma.

The Congress, which has 29 MLAs in the 60-member House, would elect their new leader through a secret ballot.

AICC president Sonia Gandhi had directed party spokesperson Dijvijay Singh and Major (retd) Ved Prakash to be present in the meeting to finally sort out the pending leadership issue.

'' This time, the CLP decision will be a final one and there should be no more changes,'' senior AICC leader said adding the legislators would have to concentrate on the state elections.

With claims and counter-claims of both warring factions is still going on in this fluid stage.

At least, two MLAs from each faction have switched sides to Mr Rymbai and Mr Lapang.

Two former ministers, Friday Lyngdoh and Deborah C Marak, in the Lapang-led ministry have owe allegiance to Mr Rymbai, a senior Congress minister told UNI here today.

However, Mr Marak have denied of owing allegiance to Mr Rymbai.

''The AICC will be made known first,'' Ms Marak further said.

While Mr Lapang's loyalists have claimed that Minister in-charge Food and Civil Supplies Shitlang Pale and Parliamentary Secretary Nehlang Lyngdoh would be joining their group, the political bickering has been lingering between the two warring factions of the Congress ever since Mr Rymbai assumed power replacing Mr Lapang last June.

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

Meanwhile, senior citizens and three influential NGOs of the state have urged AICC president Sonia Gandhi to maintain the status quo on the ongoing political tussle for the betterment of the state.

UNI