SHILLONG, July 13: One man’s misfortune is another man’s gain. The saying holds true if the current situation in Meghalaya vis-à-vis the MeECL irregularities and the clamour for James Sangma’s removal from the Power portfolio is taken into account.
If political pundits in Meghalaya are to be believed, James’ removal, if it happens at all, is likely to benefit the HSPDP. The UDP has already earned rich dividends after Chief Minister Conrad Sangma removed his elder sibling (James) from the prestigious Home department and awarded it to Lahkmen Rymbui of the UDP.
As permutations and combinations play out over James’ future, HSPDP leader and PHE Minister, Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar has expressed his intention of taking over the Power portfolio if he is considered for the post.
Maintaining that he was neither expecting it nor waiting for it, Tongkhar said he would be ready to take on the additional responsibility if the chief minister offered it to him.
“I am happy with my portfolio but if our partners, especially the CM, want me to move to any other department, I would happily take on that responsibility.”
Incidentally, HSPDP president KP Pangniang, who was also present at the scene, did not comment on the matter.
Tongkhar, however, was defensive on the demand for a CBI probe into the irregularities in the Saubhagya scheme implementation, saying, “An inquiry has been constituted and I trust the committee to unravel the truth.”
Countering the charges of corruption, Tongkhar said, “Which government is not alleged to be corrupted? Allegations will always be there. We take them seriously and keep assessing things on a daily basis and work on making corrections.”
