From CK Nayak
New Delhi: Just few months ahead of the Assembly polls in Meghalaya both the Union Ministers of State from the Hill State — Vincent H Pala and Agatha Sangma — were on Saturday dropped from the Congress-led UPA Cabinet which has raised many eye brows back in the State.
Agatha’s exit was more or less certain since Purno A Sangma and most of the MLAs had resigned from the Nationalist Congress party (NCP) to float the National People’s party (NPP) following the Presidential elections in July.
But Pala’s ‘resignation’ from the Ministry even though he was given additional portfolio during the last Cabinet reshuffle has created a flutter in the political circles in Meghalaya.
Sources have indicated that Ms Ranee Narah (Congress MP from Assam) and Ninong Ering (Congress MP from Arunachal Pradesh) are most likely to be inducted into the Cabinet in Sunday’s reshuffle.
The names of Bhubaneswar Kalita (Assam PCC president) and Mukut Mithi (former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister) had also figured for a long time as possible inclusions but faded out later.
Apart from Pala and Agatha, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, Social Justice Minister Mukul Wasnik, Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni have already resigned from the Cabinet. MS Khandel is the other MoS who has tendered his resignation along with Pala and Agatha.
All the Congress ministers who have resigned are expected to work for the party organisation. An AICC notification to this effect is likely within this week soon after the reshuffle.
This reshuffle, the biggest one ever since the UPA-II took over, could be the last before the Lok Sabha elections slated for 2014. The reshuffle is likely to see new faces being inducted.
The other changes could include ministers holding dual portfolios shedding one of their responsibilities. The maximum number of ministers could be from West Bengal as many vacancies have opened up from that state following the withdrawal of support by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress from the UPA alliance.
Pala, who arrived here from Shillong on Saturday afternoon, went straight to meet both party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at their respective residences. Both assured him to utilise his services in the party and the State.
But in the case of Agatha, the letter of resignation she had submitted during the Congress-NCP tug of war months ago was forwarded to Rashtrapathi Bhawan.
Agatha will be replaced by NCP general secretary and MP from Bihar, Tariq Anwar.
“Madam, I wish to tender my resignation from the post of Union Minister of State in order to devote full time for strengthening the party and to ensure its victory in the ensuing Assembly Election in Meghalaya,” Pala said in his resignation letter addressed to Sonia.
“However, as a disciplined member of the party I am prepared to accept whatever decision the party will take and will accept any responsibility that will be assigned to me,” he added.