Shillong, Sept 16: Former KHADC chief Pynshngain N Syiem was at his witty best as he returned to the Congress party after nearly four years on Thursday. He referred his return to the grand old Party to the parable of the ‘prodigal son’ while the ‘elder brother’ was not happy.

Syiem along with four other political leaders was welcomed during a meeting organized by the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Thursday.

“I am like the prodigal son. When he decided to go back home, the father welcomed him but the elder brother was not happy,” he said while taking an apparent dig at senior Congress legislator, Dr Mukul Sangma.

Syiem decided to rejoin the party after a gap of three year and 10 months. He had resigned on November 16, 2017.

Syiem, who is also a sitting MDC from Mawkhar-Pynthorumkhrah, is eyeing to contest the 2023 Assembly elections from Pynthorumkhrah constituency.

Stating that the Congress is like Manchester United with so many good players, he said, “I decided to join back because there are so many good players for the 2023 elections.”

“Under the new leadership, I have every reason to believe that we will achieve our goals,” Syiem said.

Syiem’s reasons for leaving Congress 

It may be mentioned here that Syiem had quit the Congress in 2017 after he was suspended for three years for openly rebelling against the former Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma especially on the issue pertaining to the anti-dual post Act of the state government.

When the Act was passed, Syiem was the lone legislator who refused to resign as a member of District Council while seven others did which led to the holding of bye-elections to the KHADC and JHADC in December 2016.

Syiem was the first to resign as MLA from amongst the sitting legislators, who were leaving the Congress to join other parties ahead of the 2018 polls.

Syiem accordingly floated the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) from which he later resigned citing that it no longer needed his service. He alleged to have been sidelined after he lost the 2018 election as well as the Ranikor bye-election.