Shillong,May 18: The rift in the Congress may affect the prospect of the deputy chief minister Roytre C Laloo with his cabinet colleague all set to ensure he loses the party ticket for 2018.
State power minister Sniawbhalang Dhar while denying of indulging in any anti-party activities said that he would support his brother-in-law Wailad Shylla to get ticket for contesting from Jowai, the constituency of Laloo.
“Where is the question of anti-party activity when Shylla is also a member of the Congress for many years,” Dhar told reporters on Wednesday.
The Jowai Block Congress Committee (JBCC) has lodged a complaint against Dhar alleging that he is involving in anti-party activities by announcing to put up a candidate from Mukhla against the party sitting legislator.
However, the minister said, “Shylla was projected by his own village – Mukhla and not me as the candidate from the constituency. Since it happens that he is my own brother-in-law I would support him to get the ticket.”
Though he claimed to have nothing against the deputy chief minister, Dhar however recalled the past incidents in which sitting MLAs were denied tickets.
“Everybody has the right to apply for party tickets since the party is yet to declare its official candidates,” he said while adding that the culture of the Congress has always been on the winnability factor.
It may be mentioned that the Congress had given ticket to Dhar’s brother Ngaitlang, who won the Umroi seat in 2013, after the sitting MLA was denied the ticket.
According to Dhar, there is a strong possibility that the same incident could be repeated.