Shillong, April 2: A day after the state cabinet recommended deputy commissioner’s rule in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), the ruling NCP in the council said the move would lead to horse-trading, which, in turn, would be more advantageous for the Congress.

“We are concerned over the deputy commissioner taking over the administration of GHADC despite the NCP having a majority and this will definitely lead to horse-trading,” NCP spokesperson and legislator James Sangma told The Telegraph.

The Congress members had been making efforts to topple the NCP-led executive committee (EC) of the GHADC for the past week.

This was evident since as many as 15 members of the district council (MDCs), mostly NCP deserters, had also met chief minister D.D. Lapang and deputy chief minister Mukul Sangma here.

The NCP had originally 20 members out of the total strength of 30 in the council. Others include Congress (5), United Democratic Party (2), Independents (2) and Achik National Congress (1).

However, the Congress fold, supported by the UDP and others, swelled in the past few days after many NCP members joined the Congress.

After the GHADC was brought under the control of the West Garo Hills deputy commissioner, a senior MDC belonging to the NCP from Garo Hills today claimed that the party had a strength of 16 in the 30-member House.

He said the NCP members of the district council would meet Governor R.S. Mooshahary shortly to submit the list proving their majority and also urge him to call the party to prove its strength in the council to end the stalemate.

The NCP alleged that the Congress engineered the present crisis in the GHADC as it wanted to control the affairs of the council.

“As we have formed a Congress-led government in the state, we wish that the Congress should also come back to power in the GHADC,” a senior Congress legislator said.

Several Congress legislators from Garo Hills believe that if the Congress leads the GHADC, the party would gain in strength.

According to the state cabinet, it had to recommend deputy commissioner’s rule in the council since the ruling NCP in the GHADC had violated the governor’s order.

GHADC chairman L.R. Momin, also from the NCP, had violated the order of the governor to call a special session last Wednesday to prove its strength in the council. A day before, the chairman had suspended three NCP members of the district council and Opposition leader B.N. Sangma from the Congress.

The state cabinet felt that with instability continuing in the GHADC, the best option before the government was to bring it under the deputy commissioner’s rule.

The effort to topple the Congress-led executive council was not free from controversies. The NCP had alleged that some of their members were kidnapped, which however, was denied by the latter saying that they had voluntarily joined the Congress.

Deputy chief minister Mukul Sangma said the present executive committee led by the NCP had already been reduced to a minority and the allegations of the party had no basis.

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