Congress working to regain lost ground in Northeast, says Adhir Chowdhuy

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on October 28 said the party was working to rebuild its organisation and regain lost political ground across the Northeast, blaming defections and communal polarisation for its decline in the region.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Congress leaders and workers in Shillong, Chowdhury alleged that the ruling parties had resorted to political poaching to weaken the Congress and retain power.

“In Meghalaya also, like other states, we have been subjected to political poaching by the ruling dispensation,” he said.

The four Congress MLAs in Meghalaya had joined the ruling National People's Party (NPP), dealing a setback to the party's presence in the state.

Targeting the BJP and its regional allies, Chowdhury alleged that several regional parties in the Northeast had aligned with the ruling establishment and were working to weaken the Congress.

Despite the setbacks, he said Congress workers remained enthusiastic and were discussing strategies to strengthen the party's organisational base.

“You have observed today the enthusiasm of our party workers at the party office. We have been discussing our strategies. Like in other parts of the country, the Congress here too is rejuvenating,” he said.

Expressing confidence in the party's prospects, Chowdhury said the Congress aimed to reclaim the political space it had lost across the region.

“Every inch of the NE region which we have lost will be restored by whatever means. Today or tomorrow, the NE will again be back in the fold of the Congress party,” he added.