CM convenes CLP meet to ensure unity

SHILLONG: The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting will be held at the residence of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Wednesday to ensure unity among Congress legislators ahead of the Assembly session scheduled from September 9.
The legislators who will attend the CLP meeting have decided to endorse the leadership of the Chief Minister after a brief spell of dissidence that culminated in the induction of two ministers and dropping of another two.
The long-pending CLP meeting assumes significance after the Opposition moved a non- confidence motion against the Speaker, A.T Mondal, to be taken up during the upcoming session.
Sources said that whip will be issued to the Congress members and those supporting the government – two NCP MLAs and eleven Independent legislators – so that they vote in favour of the government when the motion against the Speaker is taken up.
A senior party legislator said that the Congress-led MUA-II government will overcome the hurdles posed by the Opposition as far as the no confidence motion against the Speaker is concerned.
“We are all united”
Congress legislator Kennedy Khyriem, while denying any demand for cabinet berth on his part, said there is hardly any time for raising such demands.
“It is a fact that last time we went to Delhi to air our grievances, but now we are united as there is hardly one and a half years left for the next elections,” he added.
Khyriem, who is also the CLP secretary, said he along with two legislators, Celestine Lyngdoh and Comingone Ymbon, met the Chief Minister to discuss development schemes in their respective constituencies.
The newly inducted cabinet minister, Ronnie V Lyngdoh, said he happened to be there during the meeting of the three legislators and their focus was on development schemes.