SHILLONG: The chairman of the State Planning Board, Lambor Malngiang, has urged Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to convene a special session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly for passing a resolution opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Malngiang on Wednesday shot off a note to the chief minister urging him to convene the special session of the assembly on the matter.
He said it was time for all political parties to forget their differences and jointly oppose the bill even as he informed that the chief minister will soon convene an all-party meeting to discuss the way forward.
Expressing his stiff opposition to the bill, he said that the Meghalaya government had vehemently opposed it in its cabinet meeting.
When asked if there is any threat to the MDA over the bill, he replied in negative saying this government would complete its full tenure.
On being asked for his thoughts on the demand to remove BJP MLA Al Hek from the cabinet, he said that the BJP MLA too had vehemently opposed the bill in the cabinet meeting where a resolution was passed to oppose it.
On the demand of the Leader of Opposition asking all political masters supporting the MDA to rethink their strategy, Malngiang said, “How can I rethink when the government itself has said no to the bill.
Sawkmie ticks off NEDA
Opposition chief whip and Congress leader, PT Sawkmie, has taken a jibe at the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) saying the BJP-led alliance has become North East Dictatorship Alliance.
“We expected development but we received the draconian Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, and in spite of protests in the entire North East, the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre did not listen to the alliance partners,” he said.
He also said that from 2014 to 2019, no major projects have taken place in Meghalaya even as the BJP claims that they have done a lot for the people of the state and also the North East as a whole.
“BJP government has failed in all respects, even in maintaining peace and harmony in the country as a whole,” the Planning Board chief said.