SHILLONG, March 5: Conrad Sangma has come down strongly against the ongoing extraneous pressure created on two HSPDP MLAs for withdrawing support to the fledgling coalition led by him. He said “this is unacceptable” and described it as “unprecedented”.
Unacceptable it may be from his perspective, but unprecedented it is not.
Meghalaya has a unique history of similar political drama enacted by non-elected players in 1978. The current episode is a déjà vu for Meghalaya.
Let’s flash back the events that unfolded in 1978 after results of the state’s second election were declared.
It was a fractured verdict, a trend that has continued ever since in the state.
The party position was:
Congress: 20
APHLC: 16
HSPDP: 14
Independent: 7
PDIC (now defunct): 2
Janata Dal: 1
Before the single largest party, Congress, could make any move for cobbling up a coalition, a group of frenzied youths pushed the idea of a regional party government.
Instantly a “non-political” group was formed calling itself “Tribal Youths”. It called for a public meeting at Malki ground to unite the regional party leaders for a government of their “own”. Most regional party MLAs and leaders, thundered to forge unity in order to keep the Congress out of equation.
An old-timer, who did not want to be quoted, recalled: “As speaker after speaker fell in line, flags of APHLC, HSPDP and PDIC (formed by GG Swell) fluttered vigorously in approbation.”
With a firm resolve, the MLAs of three regional parties later converged at the old Assembly building in the spacious Ruling Party hall to form what was popularly called “Lai Lama Sorkar” (three-flag government). The agenda was to elect the chief minister and sort out power sharing formula.
Note that forty five years ago, there was no anti-defection law. Neither was there any cap on the size of ministry.
“Unexpectedly, the deliberations went on till late in the night but there seemed no unanimity on the leadership issue,” he recalled.
Incidentally, for some reason, BB Lyngdoh the astute leader of APHLC was kept out of the entire exercise.
To break the deadlock, the venerable Catholic Church preacher, Fr Sngi Lyngdoh who was also present there, proposed that if there was no consensus, leadership issue be settled by draw of lots.
Everybody agreed with the soft spoken, well demeanoured clergy.
When the rest of state was asleep, at the cusp of midnight, the lady luck smiled on APHLC’s Darwin Diengdoh Pugh who went on to take oath two days later as the state’s first chief minister belonging to the Khasi community.
The subsequent history of this unparalleled episode of ministry making is not quite flattering.
Within a year, the ministry collapsed and the three flags stopped fluttering.
Situation then and today are different. It is not necessary that history will repeat itself. Which way history will be scripted this time will be watched with bated breath, on both sides of the political diving line of today.
