MPCC Chief blames party legislators for raking up leadership issue

Shillong, Jan 28 (UNI) Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Onward L Nongtdu today blamed Congress legislators for raking up the leadership issue in the state.

Several Congress legislators and even members of the MPCC held Mr Nongtdu responsible for the infighting in the party over the post of chief minister.

''How can they blame me for this. If they introspect properly then can know how and who started the issue,'' Mr Nongtdu told UNI here.

The leadership crisis began last June when dissident Congress MLAs overthrew Mr Lapang from the post of the chief minister, he said.

The dissident MLAs elected Mr Lapang's aide Mr J D Rymbai as the Congress Legislature Party leader, who ultimately became the head of the politically 'unstable' state, sources said.

The person behind this political instability and infighting in the Congress are those who planned the removal of Mr Lapang, Mr Nongtdu said.

He would not bow down to the demands of some MLAs and MPCC leaders to step down as MPCC chief over the ''leadership issue'', he added.

''Why should I step down to the demand of a few people,'' the former Rajya Sabha member said.

Earlier, Minister in-charge Public Health Engineering Prestone Tynsong, MPCC Vice President Oris Lyngdoh and other senior Congress leaders blamed Mr Nongtdu for destroying the party's unity in the state.

The Congress leaders have also asked Mr Nongtdu to step down gracefully from the post of MPCC president.

UNI