SHILLONG – The United Democratic Party on Friday tried to calm speculation over an MLA exodus, but Mawsynram MLA Olan Suin gave the political uncertainty a sharper edge by saying a move to the BJP remains possible if the Union government agrees to the group’s demands.
Speaking after the emergency Central Executive Committee meeting in Shillong, UDP General Secretary Titosstarwell Chyne said there was “no question of jumping or leaving the party” based on what was discussed at the meeting.
“The party will remain as it is as of today,” Chyne said.
But Suin, one of the UDP legislators at the centre of the political speculation, offered a very different answer when asked about joining the BJP.
“If the Union government agrees to our demands, what is the problem to join?” he said.
Suin said the demands include inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule, lifting restrictions on coal mining and shifting the Harijan Colony.
He also referred to an eight-member group working on these issues, saying the group wanted to complete its “mission” before deciding its political course.
“What happens if our mission is accomplished? Anything can happen… because politics can change in one day,” Suin said.
Chyne, meanwhile, dismissed the significance of UDP legislators meeting BJP leaders or travelling to Delhi, saying such meetings did not automatically mean they were preparing to join the party.
The contrast was difficult to miss. While the UDP’s general secretary maintained that the party remained intact, one of its MLAs was publicly keeping a possible BJP move on the table, conditional on the Union government accepting the group’s demands.
Suin also rejected reports of bargaining for ministerial positions, saying the group was pressing only for issues that had remained pending for years.
