SHILLONG, April 17: Soon after Chief Minister Conrad Sangma paraded 15 MDCs to the Governor’s residence here claiming to have their support in forming the new executive committee (EC) in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), the state BJP, which secured two seats in the polls, has accused the NPP leaders of misleading the Governor.
Elucidating their accusation, party vice president and Tura MDC, Bernard Marak, said that 15 is not the magic number. As per a court order in 2000, in a case between Edmund Sangma and Winson Sangma, the minimum number for having a majority in the 29-member strong GHADC is 17.
Marak said that one of the MDCs in the 29-member house will be chairman and it (14-14) becomes a tie, and hence the Court had given the verdict that the magic number for having the majority in GHADC should be 17.
Reiterating that the Governor has been misled by the NPP leaders, the BJP MDC said that the party will apprise the the Governor of its objections. “It is not fair and the Court’s order should not be violated,” he said.
Clearing all doubts, the party leaders moreover claimed that they have not received any offer from the NPP to discuss about being a part of the EC in the Council. “We are going to stick to our principle, and continue to fight against corruption,” Marak said.
The saffron party, which secured two seats in the 29-member house also made it clear that it will become a part of the EC by leading it, while stating that it refuses to extend support to an EC led by other political parties. “The CEM’s post should go to the BJP,” he asserted.
The BJP leaders claim that so far, they have not taken any decision to support a new EC and are waiting for directions from the party headquarters.
Raking up the demand for an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and corruption in the Council, the party took pride in stating that the BJP government in Assam has already ordered a CBI probe into the alleged scam in Karbi Anglong District Council.
When asked if the BJP will work with the Congress, provided the post of CEM is given to their functionary, the party vice president said it will depend on the decision of the party leader, adding that the saffron party is going to wait and watch on how things move in future.