Rahul attacks BJP for "usurping" power in Meghalaya, vows to win back support

After failing to win over allies to form a government in Meghalaya, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the BJP for "usurping" power through "proxy" by using "big money" to create an opportunistic alliance.

Gandhi's remarks on the election results in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya came soon after his return from a weekend trip to Italy to meet his grandmother.

"With just 2 seats, the BJP has usurped power in Meghalaya through proxy," the Congress President said on Twitter after Governor Ganga Prasad formally invited National People's Party leader Conrad Sangma to form the government.

Helped by the BJP, NDA constituent NPP, the second largest party in Meghalaya with 19 seats, managed to rope in regional parties to form a coalition government.

After Congress emerged as the single largest party, top leaders Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath, Mukul Wasnik and C P Joshi had approached the regional parties for support. However, the regional outfits rebuffed the proposal contending that they had contested the assembly elections on an anti-Congress plank.

"Like in Manipur & Goa, showing utter disregard for the mandate of the people. Obsessed instead with grabbing power, using big money to create an opportunistic alliance," Gandhi said.

He said the Congress respected the mandate of the people of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya.

"We are committed to strengthening our party across the North East and to winning back the trust of the people," Gandhi said.

Dangerous game

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the BJP of following a dangerous game of destabilisation, subversion and usurpation of power in the north-eastern region.

"Tell-tale signs of BJP's blind quest for power superseding the stability of the region, propagation of democracy, nipping the separatist tendencies and ignoring core issues of region are already visible," Surjewala said.

He pointed out that BJP allies in Tripura and Meghalaya the IPFT and NPP respectively favoured division of the two states. Surjewala wanted the BJP to clarify whether it shared the views of its alliance partners.