Tura, Feb 1: Supporters of Congress in Dadenggre expressed their disappointment on Tuesday after party leader Augustine D. Marak joined hands with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Rupa M. Marak, in a bid to campaign against National People’s Party (NPP) leader James Sangma.
Marak, who initially expressed intentions to contest from the constituency, withdrew citing health reasons. But supporters said TMC had been negotiating with Marak for quite some time.
“People supported him (Augustine) in many areas here. But TMC must have offered him a good price to withdraw as the negotiations were going on for quite some time. Health issues are an excuse because he would not decide to contest in the first place. He is a sell-out and nothing good can come out of him,” Teksin Marak, one of Augustine’s supporters, said.
“If he was really concerned about the welfare of the constituency, he would have contested in a free and fair election. All of us were there to support him. If he could not show confidence in the first place, then why make promises to people and be in politics? Being a three-time MLA, better was expected out of him,” he added.
While the TMC hopes to pull some of Augustine’s supporters towards them, most supporters are confused on why the former minister chose the West Bengal-based party when he had explicitly asked workers to campaign for him.
“We were working hard for his campaigns because we believed that the TMC, or any other party, cannot cater to the needs of our people. He himself criticised the TMC during many meetings. Either he does not care about the people or has no ideology. We are left stranded,” a youth Congress worker from Dadenggre said.
“We are sure the party will take some steps. He has not only betrayed the people but he did not care for his supporters as well. Has he lost political will due to meagre compromises with some other party? We hope his blatant disregard is taken seriously by our leaders,” he added.
Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Vincent H Pala earlier stated that Augustine’s move would not impact the party as no decision was made regarding his ticket. He further added that Augustine’s move is inconsequential as the party would field a candidate in his place.
