Trinamool is outsider in Meghalaya like they called BJP in Bengal: NPP chief Conrad Sangma

Meghalaya CM cautioned that the local leaders, who joined TMC would quit and join other parties soon after the elections

Launching his party's campaign for the Assembly elections, president of National People's Party (NPP) and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday termed Trinamool Congress an outsider like the way Mamta Banerjee's party described BJP before Bengal elections.

"TMC is new in Meghalaya and they will need a lot of time to create any sort of impact here. Their leaders are all old players, who have come from Congress and got scope to serve Meghalaya when they were in Congress but have failed. TMC is yet to understand the Northeast and its people, they would need time, they are an outsider in Meghalaya just like TMC had termed BJP and other national parties as outsiders in Bengal elections," Sangma said while formally launching the campaign at Chenangre (Adokgre) under Kharkutta Assembly constituency in North Garo Hills on Monday.

NPP's campaign was launched from Adokgre as Conrad's father and former Lok Sabha Speaker late PA Sangma used to launch election campaigns from there. PA Sangma had given the name Chenangre to Adokgre, which in Garo dialect means "Land of Victory."

Conrad expressed his respect to Mamta Banerjee for supporting his father PA Sangma during elections in the past.

Meghalaya CM, however, cautioned that the local leaders, who joined TMC would quit and join other parties soon after the elections.

"Many leaders from different political parties have joined the TMC. But let me tell you and this is not Conrad Sangma saying it, this is the word in the market and you can ask anybody, you have lot of people in different networks they will tell you, that most of these leaders who have joined the TMC today have already planned to leave the TMC after the elections. They are already in contact with different political parties; they are already talking to many people," said Conrad.

Reacting to Conrad's comments, George B Lyngdoh, vice president of TMC's Meghalaya unit said, "We thank Conrad for finally acknowledging that TMC is now a new political force and they have to buy our leaders to try and be in power."

The 60-member Meghalaya Assembly will go for polls on February 27.

The NPP has been leading the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government since 2018, in which BJP is a minor ally with two MLAs. The NPP and BJP, however, have decided to contest the elections on their own. Conrad has set a target of absolute majority for the NPP.

In 2018, TMC did not win a single seat but it suddenly became the principal opposition party in November 2021 after 12 out of 17 Congress MLAs led by former CM Mukul Sangma joined it. With Mukul as a face in Meghalaya, the TMC has set a target to wrest power and form its first government outside Bengal.

During her visit to Garo Hills on January 18 and on December 13 to Shillong, Mamata Banerjee tried to shed TMC's "Bengal party" tag saying that the party is being led by local leaders and the government (after the results) would also be run by leaders in Meghalaya.