Ex-prez of Youth Cong makes it to Council as nominated member
SHILLONG: With the nomination of former Youth Congress president Gabriel Wahlang as a KHADC member on Thursday, a political crisis is looming large as the strength of the Opposition alliance People’s Democratic Front (PDF) has gone up to 15 which is the same as that of the ruling coalition ARPA in the 30-member House.
Official sources on Thursday confirmed that Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has approved the appointment of Wahlang as the nominated MDC in the Council.
According to official sources, the oath taking ceremony of Wahlang is likely to take place on Friday.
This latest development has lead to a political crisis in the Council.
When contacted, Leader of Opposition Process T Sawkmie said that the MDCs of the Opposition alliance will be meeting after the Council’s budget session on Friday to discuss their next course of action.
“We will definitely meet the Governor to suspend the present Executive Committee since the ruling coalition is no longer in majority. We will also demand for the appointment of the administrator to take over the administration of the Council,” Sawkmie said.
It may be mentioned that the Leader of Opposition had opposed the proposal of the EC to conclude the ongoing Council budget session on Thursday.
Sawkmie insisted that the session should conclude on Friday as scheduled.
KHADC chairperson Teilinia Thangkhiew accepted the argument of the Leader of Opposition and decided that the session would continue till Friday.
This is not the first time that the KHADC had witnessed this kind of situation.
The Council had been under administrative rule even in 1977 during the EC led by APHLC MDC Backstar Wanniang as the CEM.
The Council could not pass its annual budget after Wanniang lost the no-confidence motion moved by Rokon Dkhar of the HSPDP.
The Council was under administrative rule from July till August 1977 and again from December 1977 till February 1979.
The administrators appointed by the Governor during this period were DM Thangkhiew and PW Pakyntein.
Lanong flays Guv: Meanwhile, UDP working president Bindo Mathew Lanong said Governor Tripathi has acted in a hasty while appointing Gabriel Wahlang as the nominated MDC.
“We have better candidates who can take up this responsibility. But disappointingly the Governor has taken the decision in haste,” Lanong said in a statement issued here on Thursday.
He also said that the power-hungry Congress-led Government in the State has destabilized the administration of the Council.
Meanwhile, sources informed that the ruling coalition ARPA is planning to propose the name of former legislator and MDC of Mawhati MDC Donbok Khymdeit for the post of nominated MDC. The issue is likely to come up for discussion on Friday.
