Deja vu of a scam to haunt Cong govt again

SHILLONG: It was exactly five years ago in November 2012 prior to the Assembly polls that the first CBI report into the education scam had named politicians like then education minister Ampareen Lyngdoh and a host of other politicians.
A year later in November, the High Court went ahead in giving the final order leading to the cancellation of the entire appointment of teachers, besides ordering a second CBI probe into those who were involved in the scam.
The education scam verdict by the court is likely to haunt the Congress-led government as it is preparing for the 2018 polls coupled with anti-incumbency and desertion by party MLAs.
When the scam was revealed in the CBI report in 2012, several legislators who had recommended the names of candidates for appointment had defended their move by saying their duty was only to recommend the names and it was up to the minister concerned or the Education Department to take a final decision. Some of them had even suggested that a law should be passed by the government which debars the MLAs from making recommendations of names for jobs.
Around 300 teachers are affected by the cancellation of the appointment which was initiated by the Congress-led government in 2009.
Sources said since the non-Congress political parties will use the scam as an election issue for the 2018 polls, tough task is ahead for the Congress to give explanation to the people as it was banking on demonetisation and GST to take on BJP and other parties, especially NPP which are affiliated to the saffron party, in the run-up to the polls.
According to sources, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma recently downplayed the challenge of BJP leader LB Lotha for a debate on corruption under his regime, but the education scam is likely to further silence the Congress.