By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: In what could mount further pressure on Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday said that the party will the raise the infamous Education Scam in the Budget Session of the Assembly resumes on April 8.
While stating that the Government should initiate action against people involved in the scam, including its Ministers, Lyngdoh told The Shillong Times that the “UDP would not allow the Government to put the issue in cold storage.”
“Nobody should be protected from the arms of law,” he said while adding that the party would take all possible steps to see that the matter reaches its logical end.
The West Shillong legislator also urged the government to reveal the enquiry report of the High Level Scrutiny Committee (HLSC) constituted to probe the matter.
Earlier on Wednesday, several NGOs of the State mounted pressure on the Government to act against the erring officials and Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh for allegedly being involved in tampering of mark sheets of deserving candidates to the post of assistant teachers in Government Lower Primary schools last year.
Meanwhile, the UDP Parliamentary Party is scheduled to meet early next month to discuss issues relating to the bye-election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the State, scheduled on April 18.
“We will meet on April 8 to decide if the party should put up candidate for the upcoming bye-election,” UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh said.
Lyngdoh said that though the party is keen to contest in the bye election a final call will be taken only after the Parliamentary Party meet.
As per the schedule, the last date for filing of nominations for the bye-election is on April 8 and the scrutiny of nominations will be held on April 9. The last date of withdrawal of candidature is April 11.
The RS by-poll will be held on April 18 and the counting of votes will be done on the same day.
MPCC gen secy not in RS race
MPCC general secretary Manash Das Gupta has clarified that he is not in the race to contest in the bye-election to fill up the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Meghalaya.
“I want to clarify that my name has never been discussed anywhere in the party forum. I have never, even remotely, showed my willingness for the same,” Gupta said in a statement issued here on Thursday.
He also said that he is aware that this Rajya Sabha seat is a ‘reserved seat’ for which he could not apply.