SHILLONG: While the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) seems to be on cross roads as far as the post of the Assembly speaker is concerned with both United Democratic Party (UDP) and United Progressive Front (UPF) willing to project their candidates for the top post, the NPP leader and Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong has downplayed the whole bickering by claiming that they will create a consensus on the matter.
Talking to media persons here on Friday, Tynsong expressed optimism that the MDA coalition would definitely arrive at a consensus on the issue of the Assembly Speaker.
The Assembly speaker fell vacant after the demise of former UDP president Late Dr Donkupar Roy last month .
While the UDP is insistent that the post of the Speaker should go to the party, the United Progressive Front- a coalition within the MDA coalition have made it clear that they have their own candidate for the post.
However, Tynsong mainteind that that there was no confusion or any problem in the coalition in deciding the candidate for the post of the speaker.
Referring to the statement of the UPF that they have their own candidate to project, Tynsong said that the partners had the right to do so and the MDA would decide collectively on the issue very soon and will definitely come to a consensus.
“We will not claim for the post, we will sit down and create a consensus,” he said while denying that it is a difficult task to bring consensus among the alliance partners over the post of Speaker.
According to Tynsong, the MDA will meet very soon and before the commencement of the Assembly session for discussing the matter of the post of the Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
Earlier , Urban Affairs Minister and People’s Democratic Front (PDF) MLA Hamlet Dohling had castigated the UDP for insisting that the post of Speaker of the Assembly should go to the latter.
He maintained that the MDA was the best platform to decide on the matter.