Shillong: Former Meghalaya Home Minister Robert Garnett Lyngdoh on Thursday re-joined his party of origin Congress, even as he voiced optimism that the Congress will bounce back to power with an absolute majority in 2023.
Lyngdoh re-joined the grand old party with former Congress legislator, Pynshngainlang Syiem, who co-founded the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) prior to the 2018 State assembly elections.
The PDF, which have four members in the 60-member House Meghalaya assembly, is a constituent of the National People’s Party-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
Another PDF leader, Mosjo R Wanswet , former Hill State People’s Democratic Party leader, Fenela Lyngdoh Nonglait and Adrian Lambert C Mylliem also joined the Congress in the presence of outgoing MPCC president Celestine Lyngdoh, newly appointed State Congress president and Lok Sabha member, Vincent Pala and other Congress leaders.
“I feel that today the advantage in 2023 is with us. It is definitely with us but will we be able to take advantage of it or will we throw it away like throwing a baby …that is something we need to do a lot of soul searching and thinking about,” Lyngdoh said, while thanking Vincent for convincing him to return to the Congress fold.
“When Vincent came and talked to me I could see he is really a team player, a man who will consult, a man who will discuss with others and I think that is what we need to sweep 2023. I firmly believe that we can get absolute majority in 2023,” the former Home Minister asserted.
“But we have to stop pulling the carpets from each other’s feet and we have to work together as a team, support each other, help each other and remember that we are here not for power, not for glory, we are here for the people,” he cautioned.
“We have to remember that we should build bridges to the people not walls. That is very important and if we can do that nobody, believe me, can bring down the Congress again. And I believe that today with this team we got here, with the spirit that we have within each and every one of us to do something great to the party I believe we can do it, I believe we will do it,” the former Home Minister asserted.
