SHILLONG, OCT 7: Congress leader and former union external affairs minister Salman Khurshid today said the party should not take back “deserters”.
“My only prayer is that people who leave in bad times we should not take them back again,” Khurshid told reporters here while responding to a query on the sitting legislators leaving the Congress to seek re-election from other political parties in 2018.
Stating that his overall view on such a scenario is a little bit different, he said, “My attitude is good riddance to bad rubbish. If people who have got so much from the party in difficult times and wants to leave I think it’s very sad.”
Khurshid, who arrived in the state’s capital to attend a wedding party, said that he would respect if someone who gets disenchanted and felt we were not doing the right things and therefore wanted to withdraw from politics.
He however said, “But instead of withdrawing they go and join the party that they had been critical of and criticize for donkey’s years that I find really unacceptable. When you work in a larger party you cannot always have things your way.”
“Everytime you find that things are not good for you and you leave the party I think it’s very sad,” he said.
Ahead of the crucial assembly elections, slated to be held early next year, at least four disgruntled sitting legislators of the Congress have conveyed their intentions to join the opposition National People’s Party (NPP).
These include a former deputy chief minister Rowel Lyngdoh, two axed ministers Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar and MLA Ngaitlang Dhar. The other is a suspended member from Mawsynram Pynshngain N Syiem, who is all set to lead a new regional political party – People Democratic Front (PDF).
Asked, the former Congress union minister however expressed confidence that the Congress party will grow much stronger even if people are leaving the party.
“At least our history have told us that when people have left the Congress and when people leaves it’s the leaders who left not the workers, Congress has emerge stronger everytime and I sincerely hope that will happen again this time,” he stated.
By Our Reporter
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