The Meghalaya Assembly witnessed some unprecedented scenes during the opening week of its resumed budget session. The . Opposition Members, armed with some tell-tale evidences on the multi-crore racket in the Public Health Engineering Department’s Jowai Division, launched a virulent attack against the Department, more particularly its Ministers. They have, almost as a matter of routine exercise, been demanding the dismissal of the two Ministers. While it is too early for anybody to make a conclusive remark that the two Ministers had any motive other than “helping some friends”, it will be naive on the part of the Government to explain the matter in a simplistic manner. Not only because the amount is huge, but also because it is for the first time that a racket of such a magnitude has been brought to the fore. It is another matter that some of the Opposition Members may not be above board, as remarked by Mr Edwinson Bareh, the lone Independent Member presently siding with the ruling -MDF.
But the crux of the matter is the moral responsibility of the concerned Ministers. Mr P. R. Kyndiah has cited the instances of Mr T. T. Krishnamachari, the former Union Finance Minister, and the resignation of Mr Ramrao Adik, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharastra for his alleged misdemeanor with an airhostess. Even the Speaker, Mr E. K. Mawlong, while ruling the adjournment motion out of order, upheld that the aspect of Ministerial responsibility was a valid point. But everything ultimately will depend on the Chief Minister, Captain W.A. Sangma. Since the two Ministers have not found it prudent to offer resignation, and since the Chief Minister has so far not yielded to the Opposition demand for their dismissal, perhaps it would be a face-saving device to strip them of the PHE portfolios, pending impartial probe without allowing any backseat driving from any quarter.