Division in ruling ARPA in KHADC comes to light
SHILLONG: The division within the ruling All Regional Party Alliance (ARPA) in KHADC has surfaced with UDP describing the style of functioning of the CEM Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit as ‘autocratic’.
Deputy CEM Teinwell Dkhar, an UDP MDC from Shella, recently wrote a letter to Basaiawmoit questioning his style of functioning.
In the letter, Dkhar recalled that the alliance (UDP, KHNAM and HSPDP) was formed with the sole objective of having a healthy working relationship among all the allies and also to form a stable Executive Committee (EC) for the next five years.
“I am really concerned that the spirit of working together as one cohesive unit is slowly starting to vanish since the CEM (Basaiawmoit) is doing everything on his own. The MDCs of the party are kept in dark while taking important decisions. The spirit of collective responsibility in the present EC is clearly lacking,” Deputy CEM said in the letter.
Dkhar, meanwhile, told newsmen on Tuesday that all the major decisions were taken by the CEM alone. He said that the party was happy with the declaration of the lush pine plantation of Hima Mylliem in Mawpat as Law Adong (reserved forest) since it would help in retaining the greenery of the area. “But what disappointed us is that we are never kept in the loop about the signing of the agreement,” Dkhar said.
Citing another example, he said that the CEM had sent two Council officials to Delhi in connection with the NGT ban on coal mining in the State.
“Strangely, he (Basaiawmoit) never bothered to inform this to the Executive Member in-charge Mines and Minerals Donkupar Sumer,” Deputy CEM said.
Meanwhile, Sumer, another UDP MDC representing Sumer, said “It seems the CEM has some hidden agenda and this is why he is behaving in this manner.”
“It gives the impression that he is trying to gain political mileage by functioning like a dictator,” he said.
Echoing a similar view, Mawkyrwat UDP MDC Hadrian Lyngdoh said that several files sent to him (CEM) were yet to come back to him.
“I do not know what happened to those files,” Lyngdoh, Executive Member in charge of Market, said.