SHILLONG, March 12: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s absence from the Assembly on Wednesday left the Treasury bench defenceless and exposed, with some ministers appearing unsteady under the opposition’s relentless interrogation.
The government’s defence seemed patchy, with some ministers scrambling for answers and others resorting to responses not to the satisfaction of the opposition.
This vulnerability became evident during the heated discussion on the status of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) and the Centre of Excellence for Sports (CES).
Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma, struggled to provide precise information, repeatedly referring to pending approvals from the Government of India while failing to clarify critical details about project timelines and funding status.
Opposition Leader Mukul Sangma pounced on the government’s lack of clarity, raising a point of order and pressed Rakkam to specify when the 38 EMRS were sanctioned.
The minister admitted he did not have the exact sanction dates, further fuelling the opposition’s outrage.
Rakkam revealed that only nine of the 38 projects were currently in progress, with most still below 20% completion.
The opposition’s attack intensified when VPP’s Brightstarwell Marbaniang and Ardent M Basaiawmoit sought clarity on the CES projects, pointing out the contradiction between Rakkam’s claim that CES had not been approved and reports of ongoing construction.
The session also saw heated exchanges over unresolved land issues in several blocks, with Mukul urging the government to collaborate with local MLAs to overcome these hurdles.
Rakkam assured the House that discussions with legislators were ongoing, but his admission that land issues in certain areas had dragged on for three years added to the prevailing sense of inertia in the ruling camp.
