Chuba Ao gets the boot
SHILLONG, July 5: Weeks after BJP leaders from Garo Hills spoke out against the M Chuba Ao, blaming him squarely for the leadership’s decision to skip the Lok Sabha polls in the state, the saffron party has removed Ao as Prabhari (in-charge) of Meghalaya.
A statement issued here on Friday stated the BJP national president JP Nadda has appointed BJP national secretary Anil Antony as the Prabhari of Meghalaya. Anil would also look after the party in Nagaland.
There was anger among the BJP workers in the state against Ao for the party’s failure to secure a win for its partner NPP in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
Ao, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in the state, had refused to take the blame for the dismal performance of the NPP in Shillong and Tura. He had dismissed the resentment as the personal views of some party workers.
Ao had also distanced himself from the allegations about him being the prime factor for losing elections in Tura. “If this is the case, why did the party not win even a single Assembly seat in the Garo Hills?” he asked.
“They don’t analyse things but are always ready to blame someone. This is the nature of some party workers,” he had stated.
It may be noted that Anil Antony is the son of former Congress leader and former Union Minister for Defence, AK Antony. Anil had lost the recent Lok Sabha polls from the Pathanamthitta constituency in Kerala after joining the BJP.
Kerala Police had booked a case against Anil last year for hate speech and social media posts.
Meanwhile, the BJP has appointed senior party leader, V Muraleedharan as the joint coordinator of the Northeastern states.