Rajya Sabha seat, Cabinet berth bones of contention
SHILLONG: All does not appear to be hunky dory within the MDA as well as its partner, the BJP, with differences in the two entities over Rajya Sabha candidature and Cabinet berth respectively coming out in the open during a meeting of the ruling coalition recently.
Highly placed sources said that two incidents grabbed the eyeballs during the MDA meeting called to discuss the upcoming election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the state.
Sources said that in the meeting, the tiff within the BJP became clearly visible when one of the party’s two MLAs stood up and said that there are ‘BJP-S and BJP- A’ and all correspondence by the chief minister pertaining to the former should be sent directly to it.
Sources also said that one of the MLAs said that he would write to the Assembly Speaker to allot a separate place for him in the House.
The tussle for the cabinet berth between the two BJP MLAs — Sanbor Shullai and Health Minister AL Hek — is already visible.
While Shullai says that the he should get the Cabinet berth after the completion of Hek’s two-and-a-half-year term, the latter maintains that there was no agreement about berth-sharing. However, the BJP state leaders have said that the matter would be discussed with the central leadership once the two-and-a- half years end.
Meanwhile, the sources said that the PDF was not at all happy with the MDA government’s intent to nominate NPP’s WR Kharlukhi as the coalition’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha election.
During the meeting, the NPP unanimously proposed the name of Kharlukhi, but the PDF said someone from the party should be given the opportunity.
The PDF said that the NPP already has the posts of chief minister and deputy chief minister besides other ministerial berths while that of the Speaker and three Cabinet ministers have been given to UDP. Hence, the party feels it should be granted the Rajya Sabha seat.
The PDF has four MLAs in the 41-strong MDA in the House of 60.
