When will Mukul next visit Meghalaya? asks NPP
SHILLONG: When will the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma next visit Meghalaya is the ironical question which the Opposition NPP wants to ask him for his many foreign jaunts in line with the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who while speaking in Parliament, had ridiculed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his frequent foreign visits by saying, “When the Prime Minister is on tour of India he should also visit Punjab and see for himself the condition of farmers”.
At a time when Meghalaya is reeling under financial crisis coupled with the delay on the part of the Government to address the issue of empowerment of headmen in the wake of High Court ruling and the sorry state of affairs in Ampati which is allegedly controlled by GNLA, the Chief Minister’s foreign tour has come under criticism.
According to sources, it was on April 25 that the Chief Minister left Tura for Delhi and subsequently he left for Israel. He also carried out Vienna tour and is yet to return to Meghalaya.
Many in the Government are in the dark about the whereabouts of the Chief Minister.
A legislator, who is part of the MUA Government, said that the Chief Minister never circulates his tour programmes to his cabinet colleagues unlike the past Chief Ministers of the State.
Reports said that besides Chief Minister, Parliamentary Secretaries Noverfield Marak and Robinus Syngkon and a few officers had accompanied the Chief Minister during the foreign tour.
While criticizing the Chief Minister for his foreign jaunts, NPP legislator James Sangma said on Sunday that whether the tour is official or personal, when the state is facing financial crunch, it is a waste of public money and unwarranted.
“I can only say that the act of Chief Minister is irresponsible as he has not done anything to ameliorate the sufferings of people of the State especially Ampati which is now overtaken by the militants”, James said.
According to James, there are also concerns over lack of response on the part of the Government to address the issue of empowerment of traditional heads in the wake of court order.
Though a Committee was formed under the chairmanship of former Chief Minister DD Lapang to discuss empowerment of headmen, not a single meeting was held. Lapang recently said that he is waiting for the arrival of Chief Minister from abroad for his inaugural address to kick-start the meeting.
The Committee was supposed to submit the report on May 4 as the time frame given to the panel was two months from March 4 when it was officially constituted in a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.