SHILLONG, June 2: Amid the growing mudslinging between the National People’s Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the two BJP legislators of the state on Thursday said it is up to the party’s central leadership to decide whether or not to pull out of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
AL Hek told reporters it was the central leadership’s initiative to join the MDA in 2018 and even now, it will be its prerogative to take any decision on the matter. “We have no issue if they ask us to either leave the alliance or continue with it. We will welcome any directive from the party’s central leadership,” Hek said.
The other BJP legislator, Sanbor Shullai, who is a cabinet minister, echoed Hek but not before issuing a stern warning to his senior colleague (Hek) and State BJP president Ernest Mawrie to refrain from making political statements on the party’s behalf.
Shullai advised Hek and Mawrie to take him into confidence in future and make a statement to the media only when it has the consent of all leaders.
He took exception to certain statements made by the BJP’s state leadership on the alliance. He said he was not taken into confidence but added that some “karyakartas”, during the recent state executive committee meeting, had spoken about withdrawing support.
“We did not take any decision during the meeting. Some members had only expressed their views on withdrawing from the MDA. We will seek the opinion of the central leadership and if they ask us to pull out, we will quit the alliance,” he said.
Shullai also took exception to a query on why Hek was speaking out against the NPP-led MDA while he was defensive in his approach. “I cannot understand why Bah Hek is behaving like this. He has won the MLA elections four times while I have won eight,” he said, recalling that Hek had always remained quiet while he was holding the post of cabinet minister. “Once he had to leave the chair, he started giving all sorts of statements without my knowledge,” Shullai added.
It may be recalled that the BJP state executive committee meeting had discussed if there is a need to withdraw support to the government.
Some BJP workers and leaders are understood to have said the party should walk out of the coalition due to alleged corruption, especially in central schemes. The shoddy construction of Assembly building, ISBT and Mawlai bypass had annoyed the party.
The CM has already made it clear that if the BJP is unhappy, it can withdraw its support to the government. NPP state president WR Kharlukhi called the BJP a ‘paper tiger’ and dared the party to pull out of the coalition.
Against such a backdrop, BJP Meghalaya in-charge, M Chuba Ao will visit Shillong next week and hold discussions with Shullai, Hek and Mawrie before meeting Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma to try and resolve the differences.
