RG Lyngdoh set to rejoin Congress, expresses confidence on Pala’s leadership

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 8, 2021

Former Home Minister Robert Garnett Lyngdoh on Wednesday said he has decided to rejoin the Congress.

“Yes I am definitely joining the party again,” he told reporters.

He said there was a lot of pressure on him to come back to politics, especially looking at the present scenario in the state which seems to be moving from bad to worse.

His decision also came after Shillong MP Vincent H Pala was appointed as the new Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief.

He admitted that both Pala and his sister Ampareen Lyngdoh had also approached him to come back to the party.

The former home minister said he may have been away from politics but it doesn’t mean that he is totally detached from it.

“When you say staying away, it does not mean that I don’t have my finger on the pulse, my finger has been on the pulse all this time. I’ve been keeping a close watch on developments, I’ve been aware of what is happening, so it’s not that I am totally detached, I’ve not been totally detached from politics but in fact like I was saying the recent developments have contributed in a major way to my taking this decision to step back in,” he said.

“And hopefully with others in the party we will be able to make a positive change. Alone you cannot do anything you have to be able to build a team, you have to be able to lobby, you have to be able to make things happen along with others. I’ve always been a team player right from the beginning and I will continue with that same way of working,” he added.

Lyngdoh also expressed full confidence on the leadership of Pala by saying “Well they say a new broom always sweep much cleaner,” adding “I have full faith in him, I have full hope in him, I am sure that he has the capacity to deliver, it depends on the support that he gets, it depends on the team work that he is able to cultivate.”

On Congress’ sources claiming that he would also contest from South Shillong in the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections, Lyngdoh however said that it is too early to say on that.

“Let’s take it one step at a time, let me join the party first then after joining the party, we will see which door opens, how things develop because I can’t just say I’m gonna stand from this constituency, I’m going to stand from that constituency, it doesn’t work like that, there has to be consultations and we have to see all the pros and cons, there are people already in the different constituencies, I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes – all of that have to be looked at,” he asserted.