Shillong, Aug 20: A ‘desperate’ opposition Congress, which has been fishing in troubled waters in Meghalaya of late by openly revealing its desire to form an alternative ruling dispensation by getting in touch with coalition partners in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government was slammed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who said it was making “personal attacks”. “The desperation level has gone to such a level where personal attacks have been made and words have been used which we don’t expect from senior people and people at that stature,” the Chief Minister said in an obvious reference to his predecessor Mukul Sangma, who is now leader of opposition. Sangma stated that in his political career he has never seen “so much of desperation from the opposition”. He said it was sad to see the kind of extreme sense of desperation that is prevailing right now in the leadership in the Congress. “I was in fact very amused about few days back some Congress legislators had called me and almost apologising and saying that we are quite ashamed to see the kind of language being used by the leadership,” Sangma added. He also alleged that the opposition has been trying to topple the government for long and on several occasions the coalition partners supporting the National People’s Party led-Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) have been approached and every time the Congress have been told this government will continue. “It seems their focus is not about development of the people and issues of the people but their focus is more on toppling and how they want to come back to power,” Sangma said. Admitting that there are challenges, he said in such complicated situation it requires everybody to work together. He urged the opposition, the political leaders and the society as whole to rise above these kinds of political games. “They are playing games they are not succeeding. You play the game or not it is up to you. But at some point in time one must also have the commitment towards the people and the issues that are ahead of us and face those and work together,” Sangma said while urging the opposition not to get into petty political comments. On the comment made by his former ministerial colleague and senior BJP legislator, Alexander Laloo Hek that the state police had resorted to “Taliban tactics” in the killing of surrendered general secretary of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, the Chief Minister said that his remarks were “coming in a very sorry way”. “The statement made by Hek could be his reaction after he was removed from the cabinet and replaced by his party colleague Sanbor Shullai,” Sangma said, even as he urged his former ministerial colleague Hek to act in a “professional” and “mature” manner. “He (Hek) is an adviser to the Chief Minister and he should take the post seriously and advise in a proper manner,” the Chief Minister said.
