SHILLONG, April 25: Congress and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Sunday said the MDA Cabinet should take collective responsibility for allegations of irregularities or corruption and not let any individual take the blame.
“The spirit of the Constitution of India is about collective responsibility of the Cabinet. How can other ministers shrug off their responsibilities when the finger is pointed towards a Cabinet colleague?” he asked.
Accusations against a minister are tantamount to accusation against all ministers in the NPP-led coalition government with the BJP and regional parties as constituents, Dr Sangma said.
Everyone in the MDA Cabinet appears to be comfortable despite a barrage of allegations, the Opposition leader said. “They should introspect whether it is in the interest of the state for them to continue in the Cabinet,” he added.
Nothing, he said, should supersede the interest of the people of the state who “elect us to serve them”.
‘Cover-up in GHADC’
The Congress said it has reasons to believe the NPP-led coalition heading the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) is trying to destroy all evidence of alleged irregularities.
“The evidence may be destroyed,” Dr Sangma said, asserting only an independent inquiry will unearth the alleged irregularities for the people to have faith in the law.
The outcome of the GHADC polls was to some extent associated with the anger of the people towards the government’s insensitivity in handling the charges of corruption, he said.
“The people stuck to their ideology and demonstrated their concern for the state. This was reflected in the outcome of the polls where Congress emerged as the single largest party,” Dr Sangma said.
He also claimed the Congress thought about the safety of the people during the election campaign by adhering to the COVID-19 protocols.
