TURA: The Dipul Marak- led executive committee in the GHADC headed by the NPP has exuded confidence that it will sail through with a clear cut majority against the Opposition’s no-confidence motion which is taking place on Wednesday.
With 19 MDCs against the Congress alliance’s 10 members, the Dipul Marak camp has told media persons that there is no threat to its government in the autonomous body.
The Congress which till the other day was down to just five members in a House of 30 witnessed a rise in its numbers after five MDCs from the NPP-led Garo Hills Progressive Alliance crossed over to its side.
Two former executive members in Dipul Marak’s executive committee, former Taxation EM Rightious Sangma and former Rural Administration EM Jogonsing D Sangma were among the ten MDCs who signed on the no-confidence motion. They also included sitting deputy chairman Mettrinson G Momin and MDCs Levastone Sangma, Ismail Marak, Boston Marak, Wenison Ch Marak, Jimbert Marak, Sadhiarani M Sangma and Stevie M Marak.
The no-trust motion is expected to be taken up after the passing of the supplementary budget of the GHADC in the session and the election to the deputy chairman’s post that fell vacant following the resignation of Mettrinson G Momin.
Augustine to
take on Mettrinson
Former deputy chief executive member and sitting MDC from the Garo National Council, Augustine R Marak, will be in a direct contest against the Congress’s Mettrinson for the post of deputy chairman of the GHADC.
On Tuesday, both Augustine and Mettrinson filed their nomination for the election to the deputy chairman’s post. While Mettrinson is an old war horse with a vast political experience in council politics and having weathered many a political storm, Augustine Marak happens to be from the new age generation of politicians who have tasted success in their first electoral contest and gone on to play a decisive role in the formation of the executive committee bagging the position of deputy CEM.
Impeachment move behind resignation
A move by the ruling Garo Hills Progressive Alliance led by the NPP to impeach the deputy chairman Mettrinson G Momin was the reason for his sudden resignation from the chair on Monday.
“They (NPP) wanted to impeach me so I felt it was better I step down from the post,” informed Momin. He added that he decided to re-contest the post of deputy chairman following the backing of other MDCs from the opposition.
However, the ruling NPP alliance has a different take on the resignation saga of Momin.
“He (Mettrinson) was one among the ten MDCs who signed the no-confidence motion against the EC headed by Dipul Marak. So the ruling decided to impeach him. Instead of facing the impeachment he quit,” informed GHADC Chairman Denang T Sangma.
It is worth mentioning that Mettrinson Momin won from Darugre constituency of Rongjeng on an NPP ticket but switched over to the Congress in 2018 during the by-election for the Tura Lok Sabha seat in which he backed the candidature of Mukul Sangma. In that election Agatha K Sangma defeated Mukul Sangma by a huge margin of 64,000 votes.
