NE Cong defends decision to field Sanjay Sinh from Assam

Amidst protest in Assam over the nomination of a Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh as a Congress candidate from Assam in Rajya Sabha, the North East Congress Coordination Committee (NECCC) today defended the party high command's move.

"A congress man can be used anywhere in the country. The decision of the party is final," NECCC chairman and former Meghalaya chief minister D D Lapang told reporters here.

The NECCC is a conglomerate of 32 Congress MLAs, MPs and senior leaders from all North Eastern states.

Congress nominated Sanjay Sinh, MP from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, as a Rajya Sabha candidate from Assam. Sinh hails from Amethi and holds considerable influence there. Amethi is the constituency of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

There was earlier speculation that Sinh could join the BJP.

Citing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's representation from Assam in the Rajya Sabha, Lapang said he has not received any complaint from any quarter of the party in this regard.

Lapang said though members of the Gandhi-Nehru family got their membership enrolled in Delhi, some of the fought from constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.

Denying claim from some quarters that the north east and Assam in particular has been used as a 'dumping ground' for politicians from other places, Lapang said, "the affected state is Assam. If Assam is comfortable, who am I to question the judgement of those in Assam."

Various political parties and organisations like Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, AASU, Brihattar Asomiya Yuba Morcha, the Biswajit Ray faction of All Koch-Rajbongshi Student Union have decried Sinh's nomination terming it as a betrayal for the people of Assam as an outsider cannot solve the state's problems.