It is not always that members of a coalition go public on their internal differences. But this time a constituent of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) Government in Meghalaya, the BJP seems to have decided to throw caution to the winds. The State BJP leadership has taken the case of corruption in the Garo Hills District Council which seems to have exceeded all limits, to the national leadership. The NPP President and recently appointed Rajya Sabha has not only rubbished the allegations by a partner constituent but also made some undesirable comments on the BJP State President. How things will pan out between now and 2023 is anybody’s guess but coalition partners are wary lest they have to bear the brunt of all these accusations against the NPP which is leading the coalition.
There are many factors at play here. The NPP is not just playing footsie with the BJP but also has some strong ties with the BJP leadership in Delhi and is also supported by the President, North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. It is Sarma who runs the affairs of the BJP in the North East and it is he who will finally call the shots. Now where does that leave the state BJP leadership? Do they even have the freedom to function independently and take decisions to sever ties with the MDA at some point? Do both the BJP MLAs in the MDA concur with what the BJP President has done in going public with the allegations of corruption? These are still in the realm of speculation.
The other allies of the MDA Government however, seem to be keeping a studied silence on the NPP-BJP war of words. In fact they are keeping a low profile and going about their business as if nothing matters. After all, it’s also a question of keeping the coalition afloat until 2023. The MDA has enough supporters and can do without the 2 BJP MLAs but it’s also about honouring a pact made in 2018 and more importantly because the MDA relies heavily on central funds and it is therefore important for the NPP to keep the NDA Government in good humour. A souring of relations at this juncture would not be in the interest of the MDA Government.
What will be of interest is the proposed investigation by the NITI Aayog which has taken the issue of corruption in the District Councils seriously enough to publicly announce the probe. Will the investigation be just a face-saving act or is it NITI Aayog serious? Undoubtedly, the Councils need to be probed and the muck cleansed. That a BJP legislator was poached by the NPP in the GHADC also smacks of an irredeemable fatal flaw that the Councils suffer from which is the absence of the Anti-Defection Act to tie the MDCs to their respective parties.