By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The aam admi has demanded an immediate removal of the tainted ministers MLAs and MDCs who were involved in the scam revolving around the recruitment of lower primary school teachers’ that was unearthed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday.
These commoners who have voted these politicians into power have also demanded that strictest punishment be meted upon them. Even the teaching fraternity has termed the scam as ‘biggest ever shame’ at a time when the state government cannot pay the arrears and monthly salary to the school teachers but they have all the resources to fill up their coffers.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Idalyn Nongbet an offended lower primary school teacher while hailing the CBI findings said that former and present education minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh and RC Laloo, should immediately resign from their respective positions on moral grounds.
“They should go before the public voted them out of power. It is disgraceful to see the act of these ministers when genuine candidates are yearning for jobs and school teachers are retiring with nothing in their hand and is dying for want of medical treatment in their old age,” she said.
Another LP school teacher Markos Mukhim echoing her said that the Congress ministers in the state are not lagging behind the scam-filled congress ministers in the union government. “We have seen P Chidambaram, Salman Khurshid and other stained minister of the congress allies in the UPA government. Now this list should be updated further with the likes of Ampareen Lyngdoh, RC Laloo, Charles Pyngrope, JA Lyngdoh, AL Hek and others,” lambasted this teacher who is paid his salary on a quarterly basis.
Honorius Lyngdoh, a bank employee who works in a bank sponsored by the state government said that it was time for the people to decide on their future candidates and vote consciously. “The people of the state and the country have seen what they have received at the hands of the congress led UPA government at the centre and congress led MUA government in the state. Can anyone point out anything else beyond scams, inflation, fuel price hike and expose after expose from these governments?” he said.
He is seconded by a post graduate political science student Dinziha Momin, who while demanding the removal of the ministers named by the CBI in the recruitment scam said that it is up to the people of Meghalaya to vote someone who will reap one from getting their rightful employment or go for an alternative and see what they can actually do.
Interestingly, those citizens of Meghalaya who are staying in mainland India on job or study purpose said that the ministers, MLAs and MDCs will feature in the same list of big bad names in scams ever committed in the country.
Meanwhile, a resident of Laitumkhrah, Eraya Dympep said that it is indeed shocking to learn that the answer sheets of candidates were manipulated at the residence of Laitumkhrah legislator. “This is uncalled for and the court should take legal action against all the legislators to set precedence in line with the court order that none will be spared irrespective of their positions,” she said.
Another such resident from Malki Darisiewdor Syngkon observed that the teachers cannot meet the education minister RC Laloo in his office whereas the principal secretary PS Thangkhiew never allows anybody to enter his cabin nor attends any phone calls. “These are the type of ministers and bureaucrats we have in our system who needs to be shown the door,” she said sternly.
Apart from the widespread hatred over the ministers, many are also of the opinion that the people of Meghalaya should abstain from voting in the upcoming 2013 Assembly Elections owing to the failure of the MLAs in living up to expectations.