Purno A Sangma

Shillong, Dec. 16: General secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Purno A. Sangma today sought legal advice to prevent six renegades of his party from joining the Congress in Meghalaya.

“I will not allow this to happen and have sought legal opinion before approaching the Supreme Court because a national party cannot be divided without a split in the original party,” he said.

Sangma received a jolt yesterday when six NCP legislators deserted the party and floated the Meghalaya Nationalist Congress Party (MNCP). They joined the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government — four of whom were made cabinet ministers.

Chief minister D.D. Lapang today met the NCP defectors behind closed doors to work out a possible merger of the newly-formed party with the Congress.

Lapang is said to have offered plum portfolios to MNCP leader Cyprian R. Sangma and former Speaker Elstone D. Marak. Party insiders said the chief minister might replace power minister R.L. Tariang and health and family welfare minister B.G. Momin with Cyprian Sangma and Elstone Marak.

The chief minister had indicated yesterday that a reshuffle is on the cards to accommodate the new ministers.

However, the NCP general secretary has vowed to stop Lapang in his gameplan. The former Lok Sabha Speaker said he has apprised NCP president Sharad Pawar about the developments in Meghalaya.

“I have no ideological differences with anyone in the party. What has happened is the Congress’ handiwork,” he said.

The party’s state unit president Edmund K. Sangma, who is also the Legislative Party leader, said some of the deserters would return to the NCP. A couple of them had “realised their mistake”, he added.

“I have told Samuel Sangma and Brening Sangma that they are free to come back,” he said.

The Congress, too, is under pressure from its own ranks, including some senior legislators, for “bloating the size of the ministry”.