The Congress on Monday said that the alliance between the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Meghalaya for the government formation is a “marriage of convenience”.
In the February 27 Assembly election held in Meghalaya, the result of which was declared on March 2, the NPP won 26 seats while the BJP got two. The Congress bagged five seats.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Meghalaya unit Congress president said: “The BJP and its alliance with NPP and other parties is a marriage of convenience. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president J.P. Nadda and other senior party leaders came to Meghalaya and criticised the NPP. However, they are now joining hands, which proves that everything in their manifesto was false.”
The Congress also criticised the BJP for calling NPP president Conrad Sangma “corrupt” during the poll campaign but “now joining hands to form the government”.
In Meghalaya, the United Democratic Party (UDP) — that emerged the second-largest, has also extended its support to the NPP for the government formation.
Metbah Lyndoh, the president of UDP that bagged 11 seats to finish second behind the NPP, in a letter written on Sunday to Conrad Sangma mentioned: “Congratulations on your party’s performance, resulting in the resounding victory. In light of the people’s mandate, I on behalf of the parliamentary party of the United Democratic Party, do hereby extend support for government formation.”
The UDP was also an ally in the previous NPP-led government in Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, People’s Democratic Front (PDF), which was earlier holding talks with Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Sangma for an alternative formation, also joined the UDP to tender support to the NPP.
