SHILLONG, NOV 20: The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) today welcomed the decision of veteran political leader and former five-time chief minister DD Lapang to join the party and said that he will be its ‘guiding factor’ and ‘mentor’.
“He (Lapang) will be our guiding factor. He will be our mentor and he will guide us well,” NPP leader and deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters on Tuesday while defining the role of the ‘big uncle’ in the party.
His statement came a day after Lapang, who recently took charge as the chief adviser to the state government, finally announced his decision to soon join the ruling NPP which is leading the six-party Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
However informing that the party is yet to be communicated officially on the matter, Tynsong said, “I have seen in the newspaper that he has decided to join the NPP but officially we have not received anything.”
Denying of having met the veteran leader to discuss on the matter yesterday in his office chamber, the deputy chief minister said, “I met him as a chief adviser to the government.”
Terming the decision of Lapang as a major boost to the NPP, Tynsong said, “At the stature of Lapang who is the senior most leader of the state who is still active in politics so it will be a big boost to the party if at all he decided like that (to join the party).”
While announcing his decision on Monday, Lapang had stated that since he started his life with a national party for the past many years, he felt it fit and proper to work with a party like the NPP which has got a national link.
“So I will join the NPP because it is a national party and the president of this party is also from Meghalaya and the sense of closeness is there. I believe by having a proper platform it is better than being as an independent man. If I stay alone even those who are by my side they cannot be with a lone man because they are belonging to some parties not only from the Congress,” he had said.
Maintaining that he will not contest elections, the veteran political leader also pledged to play a vital role in ensuring stability of the NPP-led MDA government in order to develop a new Meghalaya.
It may be mentioned here that Lapang had earlier this year quit the opposition Congress as a mark of protest against the All India Congress Committee (AICC)’s policy of “phasing out” senior and elderly people.
By Our Reporter
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