Prestone returns to State Cabinet,
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Nearly two months after he was dropped from the ministry along with three others for revolting against Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, Prestone Tynsong was on Tuesday re-inducted into the Cabinet.
Governor RS Mooshahary administered the oath of office and secrecy to Tynsong at Raj Bhavan.
The Chief Minister along with his council of ministers and senior government officials witnessed the swearing-in ceremony.
Tynsong was axed from the Cabinet on June 7 along with three others for unsuccessfully revolting against Dr Sangma.
The Chief Minister replaced the four rebel Congress ministers by inducting his loyalists (Congress legislators) Shitlang Pale, AL Hek and Saleng Sangma as cabinet ministers.
However, Congress legislator S W Rymbai, whose name also figured in the list of the new ministers, failed to take oath due to ill-health.
Immediately after being sworn in, Tynsong said his induction was done as per the directions of the party high command.
A visibly happy Tynsong said,” the question of leadership change does not arise now. The AICC president Sonia Gandhi, who rejected the demand for a change of leadership, asked the Congress leaders to concentrate on the upcoming elections in 2013.”
Asked about his stand on the continuance of Dr Sangma as Chief Minister, Tynsong said, “We are satisfied.” On frequent internal bickering in the ruling Congress, he said, “There would always be problems in a family.”
Reacting to the larges leveled by as one of the dissidents FW Momin, who termed former Chief Minister DD Lapang as a betrayer, Tynsong said, “We had a meeting to inform the group about the directives of the AICC but they (FW Momin and FS Cajee) did not turn up.”
The decision to induct Tynsong comes in the wake of the dissidents, led by Lapang, demanding re-induction of all the four dropped ministers as a condition to bury the hatchet with Dr Sangma.