SHILLONG, April 26: UDP chief adviser, Bindo Mathew Lanong on Monday said that his party has not wavered from the demand to strip James P.K. Sangma of the Power portfolio.
“We had recently met to deliberate on this issue in detail. We have decided to stick to our demand that he (Sangma) should be relieved of the Power portfolio,” he said.
Stating that reshuffling of portfolios is quite common even in normal situations, Lanong said the current situation warrants that some other Cabinet minister should take charge of Power.
“We want to make it very clear that we are not demanding the removal of James from the Cabinet,” he said.
According to the UDP chief adviser, a new person at the helm may help improve the power scenario in the state.
Expressing concern over the “mess” the MeECL is in after allegations and counter-allegations, Lanong said people need to know the truth.
“Many things have come up in the public domain. It is necessary for the government to constitute an inquiry into what is going on in the MeECL,” Lanong said.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the crisis in the MeECL. We need to fix responsibilities and an inquiry is the only way to do so,” he said.
Besides the UDP, the Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL (Employees) Associations and Unions had earlier written to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma demanding an independent inquiry into the irregularities and scams in MeECL, while seeking his brother’s removal as the Power Minister to facilitate a free and fair investigation.
James downplays ouster demand
But the Power Minister downplayed the growing demand for his ouster.
Terming the concerns of the people as genuine, he said that he does not hold any grudge against those who are demanding his removal from the Power department.
“We as a team are trying to resolve all these issues, which have been pending for long,” he added.
The minister also pointed out that another person in his place would not have found it easy to resolve everything at one go.
Admitting that it is a challenge for him to end the crisis built-up over the years, he asserted that efforts to streamline everything will take some time.
