SHILLONG: The State BJP has demanded that Chief Minister Mukul Sangma should step down for passing the dual posts bill that has been proven void and hailed suspended Congress P.N Syiem for his stand on the issue.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, BJP state president Shibun Lyngdoh accused the Chief Minister of taking people of the State for a ride by passing the bill.
The BJP said the State Government’s move to pass the dual posts bill was an attempt to do away with the district councils and now the bill “has been termed null and void following the judgment of the Supreme Court”.
The Supreme Court recently upheld the May 31, 2016, ruling by the then Governor V. Shanmuganathan that the post of MDC is not an office of profit.
BJP state General Secretary David Kharsati pointed out that the party MLAs who win the 2018 Assembly elections will be allowed to contest the MDC elections too scheduled for 2019.
“He (Mukul) should resign as he has failed miserably and it is high time that people should understand that this man wants to do away with the district councils,” the BJP leader said.
Kharsati, while appreciating KHADC CEM P.N Syiem’s move to not resign from the District Council, pointed out that clause 6 (a) of the Sixth Schedule has clearly stated that elected members of the ADC shall hold office for a term of five years.
The State Assembly last year passed the Prevention of Disqualification (Members of Legislative Assembly, Meghalaya) (Amendment) Act, 2015, following which seven MLAs, who were also MDCs, had to resign from the Councils leading to bypolls in December.
