HILLONG: The ongoing war of words between Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma and the UDP leadership seems to have gained momentum, with former Deputy Chief Minister and UDP working president Bindo M Lanong substantiating his colleague Paul Lyngdoh’s allegations that the Cabinet ministers in the MUA-II Government were like muster rolls and without any authority.
The Chief Minister had on Saturday taken exception to Paul Lyngdoh’s ‘muster roll’ jibe against him, and had cautioned the UDP leader from making callous and rhetoric statements.
Lanong, on Sunday, repeated Lyngdoh’s words and alleged that the Cabinet ministers were without any authority since the Chief Minister acted arbitrarily and did not even consult his ministers before taking major decisions.
Citing an example of how the Chief Minister ‘sidelines’ his Cabinet colleagues, Lanong, who had been a part of Mukul’s cabinet, said that he had come to know about the constitution of the High Level Committee on Influx under his chairmanship only when the notification in this regard reached his office.
Lanong alleged that the Chief Minister had not only kept the Chairman (Lanong himself) in the dark, but also all the NGOs who were specifically selected by Mukul himself without consulting anyone.
“There was no courtesy on the part of the Chief Minister to discuss such an important matter like formation of the committee on influx, until I received an official notice regarding the formation of the committee,” Lanong said.
Lanong also had a word of advice for the Chief Minister, saying that the even though the Chief Minister has every right to be provocative, it was necessary for him to show courtesy.
‘Chief Minister defending culprits in Education, JHADC scams’
The UDP working president also accused the Chief Minister of defending the main culprits involved in the Education scam and misuse of public funds in the JHADC.
Lanong alleged that the police were ready to take action against those involved in the scams but were being prevented from doing so by the Chief Minister.
“The police are ready to take action but they are under pressure from the Chief Minister,” Lanong claimed.
The UDP leader also blamed the State Congress for not taking any action against Cabinet Minister Ampareen whose name figured in the CBI report regarding the Education scam, and JHADC CEM MD Rymbai, who allegedly misused funds in the Council.