Shillong, Mar 4: Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma on Friday accused the National People’s Party-(NPP) led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government of trying to weaken the Opposition.

“There was a desperate attempt by the government to see that there is no opposition in the House. Is it healthy for democracy? Do you like to subscribe to this kind of attitude of any political party (as) poaching comes with many things? This is a reflection of their desperation to see that the opposition is weakened,” Sangma told reporters.

“This is also because of the desperation of the people in power and who are in the government to be able to remain in power post 2023 elections,” he further alleged.

The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leader also cited the recent joining of the five suspended Congress legislators with the MDA government.

“You have seen the 5 members belonging to the Indian National Congress… how they have been poached. The healthy procedure would have been to have an engagement with the political party leadership, a healthy engagement, discussion, deliberation at the party level but they have selectively targeted the elected representatives by using all kinds of inducement,” he said.

The former chief minister further asked if one has seen this kind of situation in the past where an MLA is lured and induced by giving a package of development and convinced to even give up his membership in the beginning of this term in 2018.

“MM Danggo was promised a Civil Sub-Division. With that he was convinced to resign from the membership of this august house. These are not healthy practices and this is not something which will augur well for the democracy in the nation,” he stated.

Asked about the Chief Minister’s claim that there is a crack in the AITC, the leader of opposition said, “I am not perturbed by what he says… you know their job has always been to engage in poaching.”

Terming the current political development in the state as unprecedented, Sangma also urged the people of the state to condemn such continuous approach of poaching of elected representatives and poaching of political leaders by the ruling party.

Meanwhile, Sangma said that the focus of the 12 legislators remains the same. “We continue to remain committed and fully geared up in respect to what we should be doing. Though the session will be short, we will utilize the time optimally,” he said.

“Opposition must stand to the expectation of the people and we cannot create a vacuum and therefore irrespective of the fact that our numbers have shrunk – earlier we were 17 and now we are 12 – despite this the focus will remain,” he added.