SHILLONG, Nov 25: The wait of BJP MLA Sanbor Shullai to be inducted into the Cabinet may prolong further with Meghalaya BJP in-charge, M Chuba Ao, refusing to give any assurance as far as accommodating Sanbor Shullai in the state Cabinet. In fact, he dismissed Shullai’s claim that there was an understanding for splitting BJP’s lone cabinet berth between the two MLAs in the Assembly.
All this while, Shullai had been maintaining that he should be given the opportunity to be a member of the Cabinet for the remaining term of two and half years of the MDA Government.
Responding to a query here on Tuesday, M Chuba Ao said that the party till now had not discussed anything on the matter. “They are comfortable and both of them are giving their best services for the people of the state and also working hard for the state,” he said.
When asked about the arrangement of sharing cabinet for two and half years, which Shullai is referring to, Ao said that the statement of the legislator may be his personal opinion and it has nothing to do with the party.
“Reshuffling is the prerogative of the chief minister and this is not an issue but it can be his feeling and expression,” Ao said.
The statement of Ao completely negates the previous statement of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who time and again had left the matter related to Cabinet reshuffle on a rotation basis to the MDA partners.
Earlier, the chief minister had made it clear that there is a quota for each party of the alliance and based on it, the number has been given to them. He had also said that a decision has to be taken by the respective political party as to who will be the minister in that particular quota.
However, Ao maintained that as reshuffling in the Cabinet was a matter of governance, the party cannot dictate the alliance to go for a reshuffling. “There has to be proper consultations and we will have to see their performances as well,” he said.