SHILLONG: Meghalaya has been left out in the cold in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ministry-making exercise. The surprise exclusion of former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma from the Union cabinet has come as a rude shock to his supporters in the Garo Hills.
Formally, however, Purno’s party NPP took a stoical attitude, saying it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister to select his team. Purno’s son and NPP leader Conrad Sangma said: “It’s the prerogative of the Prime Minister.”
NPP was sure that a decision on the Union cabinet had been taken keeping in mind the intrest of the people and the country. “As for us we have been given a responsibility by the people. e will try and fulfil this to the best of our ability in whatever capacity,” Conrad said.
The veteran NPP leader won the Tura seat with the twin promise of tackling the worsening law and order situation in the Garo Hills and of formation of a separate state of Garoland. For the supporters of Purno in Garo Hills, however, it was not a pleasant day as he was not accommodated in the ministry despite his vast experience in the field of politics and administration as former Lok Sabha Speaker and former Union Minister.
There were no visible signs of celebration by the supporters of either BJP or Modi Fan Club in Meghalaya. People glued to television sets during the swearing in ceremony of Modi and his cabinet. None of the State BJP leaders was invited to the swearing in ceremony of Modi and his cabinet members.
By contrast, in the previous UPA government, both the M.P.s from Meghalaya, Vincent Pala of Congress and Agatha Sangma of NCP, had been included in the Union ministry. Purno along with his daughter Agatha Sangma had met Modi in Gujarat after the Lok Sabha polls. Later, he met Modi again separately after the declaration of results.