SHILLONG, March 10: Senior BJP leader and Cabinet minister Alexander Laloo Hek said the party has very little role in fulfilling the demand for the implementation of the inner-line permit (ILP) and the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
“We have not been given the mandate to lead the government. We could have pursued with the Centre had we been leading the government,” he told reporters on Friday.
He said the party (NPP) heading the government will decide how it is going to pursue the two long-pending demands.
“We are going to support whatever decision the party heading the government takes. Beyond this, I will not be able to say anything,” Hek said, adding that his party would request the NPP to incorporate a few relevant points in the BJP election manifesto.
“As a small partner in the ruling coalition we can only request,” he said.
‘No seat-sharing discussion with CM’
Hek said that the discussion on sharing of the Cabinet berth between him and party colleague Sanbor Shullai did not happen in front of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
The discussion was held in the party office, he said.
“I shall share the Cabinet berth with Shullai. As the party MLAs, we will have to abide by the decision of the central leadership,” he said.
Sangma had said that he was present during the discussion on sharing the term between the MLAs of the BJP and the HSPDP.
In a letter addressed to Sangma, also the NPP chief, state BJP president Ernest Mawrie requested the former to consider the central leaders’ decision to allow equal sharing of ministerial berths by the party’s two MLAs.
“So far, only the BJP has written to me that its two MLAs will share the Cabinet berth. I am yet to receive anything in writing from the HSPDP,” the CM said.
Clarifying that the party had never questioned the policy matters of the NPP-led MDA 1.0 as they were a part of the alliance, Hek said the BJP had only expressed concern on the alleged corruption and irregularities.
“We will continue to raise our voices on the issue of corruption. The decision to support the MDA 2.0 was taken by the central leadership,” he said.
On the allegations of senior Trinamool Congress leader Mukul M. Sangma that they have failed to form an alternative government due to “horse-trading”, Hek said the BJP never indulges in such activities.
