SHILLONG, Aug 2: The political controversy over the dropping of Alexander Laloo Hek from the state cabinet is yet to die down as the BJP Meghalaya in-charge, M Chuba Ao has asserted that Chief Conrad Sangma had acted unilaterally and had not consulted the BJP central leadership prior to sacking Hek from the ministry.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Monday, Ao said before taking such a major decision, “the chief minister should have gone for consultation with us”. If he had some reason to drop Hek, “he should have asked us for another name”.
Making no bones about the party’s injured feelings he said, “The chief minister had not communicated with our central leadership before dropping Hek” while reminding that the central leadership manages matters of alliance, while state president manages organisational issues.
Claiming that even the State BJP president Ernest Mawrie had denied having recommended ouster of Hek from the Cabinet and appointment of Sanbor Shullai, the BJP Meghalaya in-charge said that it was the duty of the chief minister to inform the party leadership when he dropped Hek as BJP is in alliance with the NPP here.
“The chief minister has overlooked the process and the system,” he felt.
“I am a Prabhari; he could have told me over the phone only that he is dropping Hek for some reason,” he said.
Ao however added that now nothing can be done but they are fine with the reshuffling as Sanbor Shullai is also a BJP legislator.
Hek fumes
On the other hand, Hek who is furious over being dropped from the Cabinet said that he wanted to know who took the decision of dropping him from the Cabinet.
“If the party has taken the decision, it is fine but there should have been courtesy and if someone had come and told me to give space to my other colleague, I would have never said no,” Hek told this reporter on Monday.
Stating that even senior party leaders like Arun Singh and Ajay Jamwal were unaware of any move to drop him, Hek added that a decision to go for a reshuffling in the Cabinet for the party quota can be taken only by the central leadership.
When asked if the tussle between him and BJP president Ernest Mawrie has led to this development, Hek said that he has no tussle with anybody but added that those who had proposed his name to be party president were anti-Mawrie.
“They wanted me to take over as president but I said, let the party decide and if party asks me to take over, I will not shy away,” Hek added.
Hek recalled that Sanbor Shullai last year had written to BJP president advocating for Hek to continue as the minister for the full term, therefore, it came as a big surprise to him. Although he maintained that he was not disappointed with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma for the sack, his grouse is about the surreptitious action.
“But before dropping me, there is something called courtesy and manners and the chief minister is duty bound to at least consult me once before taking the decision to drop me,” Hek added.
He further recalled that when he was dropped from the Cabinet by Mukul Sangma, the former chief minister had called him to convey that he would have to be dropped since there was a lot of pressure to accommodate other MLAs from the party.
Asserting that he feels being backstabbed, Hek said that he had not resigned because nobody had asked for his resignation. However, he appears to be resigned to his fate for now saying that he would continue to be with BJP, but wanted “justice” to prevail.
