Charge sheet against Deborah
SHILLONG: With Parliament and Meghalaya Assembly sessions due soon, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the State Congress are in a quandary over how to come up with responses to likely queries from the Opposition members on the ‘sudden’ charge sheet filed by East Garo Hills Police against Congress Minister and working president of MPCC, Deborah Ch Marak.
Deborah was charge sheeted by the police for her alleged nexus with the outlawed GNLA during the 2013 Assembly elections in the State.
The Congress is presently ‘clueless’ on how to defend Deborah when the issue will be raised both in the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assembly in the upcoming sessions.
Lok Sabha member from Tura and NPP president, Purno A. Sangma, has already asserted that he would raise the issue of politician-militant nexus in Meghalaya in the Parliament.
Purno had recently informed media persons that his party (NPP) was in favour of entrusting all cases related to the politician-militant nexus in Meghalaya either to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Congress sources revealed that the AICC was preparing the details to counter the attack from Purno when the matter is raised in the Parliament which is scheduled to sit from November 24.
The State Government will also be cornered during the upcoming Assembly session from November 21 as the Opposition is poised to raise the issue demanding action against the minister who has been charge sheeted.
Another worry for the State Government is the growing demand of Opposition parties – UDP and NPP – to have an investigation by CBI or NIA into the alleged politician-militant nexus issue.
Cabinet, CLP kept in
the dark
Meghalaya Cabinet ministers have acknowledged that they were in the dark about the charge-sheet filed against their colleague Deborah Ch Marak.
After senior party leaders including MPCC president D.D. Lapang and former Chief Minister S.C. Marak had said that they learnt of the charge sheet only from the newspapers, some more Cabinet ministers including Prestone Tynsong and A.L. Hek have also echoed the same views.
There are reports that even Home Minister Roshan Warjri was kept in the dark with regards to the charge sheet against Deborah Marak.
Incidentally, the charge sheet against the minister and working president of the party has neither been discussed at the CLP meeting nor any party forum.