Mukul slams Cong for its cock and bull story over merger of 12 MLAs to AITC

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 8, 2021

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) legislature party leader Mukul Sangma on Wednesday slammed the Congress for attempting to have a “cock and bull story” by challenging the decision of the 12 MLAs to merge with a new party. 

His statement came after the 10 MLAs have submitted their reply in response to the Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh in response to the Congress’ petition filed by Ampareen Lyngdoh seeking their disqualification as per provision of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. 

The Congress did not file any petition against former Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope and Sutnga-Saipung legislator Shitlang Pale.

“I want to say that the whole petition filed by one of the members of this august House is basically nothing but reflection of the attempt to have a concocted story with complete misrepresentation and distortion of facts to only create certain kinds of hurdles in the smooth functioning of the members of this august house who have agreed upon to have a merger with a new political party,” Sangma told journalists here.

“Because interestingly the petitioner had said that the merger did not have adequate number to qualify to say that we have more than two-third of the effective strength of the then Congress legislature party which is completely wrong, false, distorted and misrepresentation of facts as everyone knows that the group, the members who decided for this merger as per mandate of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution specifically vis-a-vis the mandated act specified as para 4(1) and para 4 (2), we have complied with the requirement,” he said.

According to him, out of the effective strength of 17, 12 members actually constitute more than two-third of the effective strength of the then Congress Legislature Party.

“So the petitioner choose to say that the numbers was only 10 not 12 which is definitely available before you to have your own intepretation that it was nothing but an attempt to just have certain kind of attempt to play to the gallery to create wrong perception to the people, to delay peoples’ decision to join us in our new march,” he said.

When asked if it is a ploy of the Congress by not filing petition against the two MLAs, the former chief minister said, “That is the strangest thing that is why I said it was more like an attempt to have a cock and bull story to point a finger at somebody who has ensured that whatever we do are in consistent with the mandate of the law and provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.”

The AITC leader further reiterated that para 4 (1) and para 4 (1) (a) provides this space for merger of the original party with any political party or any new political party. 

The para 4 (2) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution clearly says that if not less than two-third of the effective strength of a legislature party in the house decide to merge with any political party or a new political party then it would be if more than two-third or not less than two-third then it will have fulfilled of the deemed merger as far as the provision of para 4 (1) and para 4 (2) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution is concerned. 

“Now based on this whole mandate, this whole decision of the then legislature party members who then belong to the Congress legislature party has decided upon and therefore the merger of the original party with a new political party has taken place,” he said.

“Subsequent to the 24th evening, on the 25th of last month the 12 members were asked to be present physically to testify and verify the decsion as well as the signatures which was put on the letter which was submitted to the Speaker on the 24th night.

This was appropriately accordingly fulfilled by the 12 members for the merger of the original party belonging to INC with the new political party in the instant case AITC,” he further maintained.