By Our Reporter
Shillong, Sep 18: UDP general secretary Titosstarwell Chyne has dismissed the perception that there is unrest in the party after the recent reshuffle of the state cabinet.
“I want to make it very clear that there is no rumbling in the party. Any decision taken was made after due consultations among all party MLAs,” Chyne told reporters on Thursday.
The cabinet rejig saw ministers Paul Lyngdoh and Kyrmen Shylla being replaced with party president Metbah Lyngdoh and Amlarem MLA Lahkmen Rymbui.
To a query, Chyne said he does not believe the reshuffle will affect the party.
“It doesn’t appear that the two MLAs are unhappy with the decision to share the Cabinet berth. They have not expressed any dissatisfaction even during the meeting of the MLAs,” he said.
He clarified that UDP’s Parliamentary Party leader
Metbah Lyngdoh consulted the party leadership before the decision was made. “All the MLAs were involved in this process,” Chyne asserted.
On the absence of a formal cabinet-sharing agreement among the UDP MLAs, Chyne admitted that no such arrangement existed.
“Political situations arise, and there is no full stop in politics. Politics can change anytime. That is why, there was no agreement on the sharing of Cabinet berths for two-and-a-half years each,” he said, adding that there is no guarantee the ministers will continue for the remaining term.
“You never know, there could be changes within the next year if the political situation demands,” he remarked.
Responding to criticism that the party president himself has assumed a Cabinet berth, Chyne noted that this was not unprecedented. “This is the first time that our current president has become a Cabinet minister. Even our late president, Dr Donkupar Roy, had served as Deputy Chief Minister while leading the party,” he said.
He explained that Metbah Lyngdoh assumed the role of a Cabinet minister only after consulting all party MLAs individually. “We may not know the details of the Parliamentary Party meeting, but the president held consultations with all MLAs,” Chyne added.
He defended the timing of the move with less than three years left for the 2028 Assembly polls.
“Even Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma is both CM and national president of the NPP. I do not see anything wrong with our president taking up a Cabinet position. The CM is managing both responsibilities effectively,” he argued.
As for his own role as the newly-appointed general secretary, Chyne said he has already convened a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).
“The CEC has decided to strengthen the organisation, starting from the district-level and down to the circle-level. We will also revive and strengthen our different wings — women’s, youth, and farmers’ wings in the coming months,” he said.
He said while the party was preoccupied with the Cabinet reshuffle in recent days, organisational work would continue. “This reshuffle has nothing to do with the functioning of the party. We are confident the UDP will grow from strength to strength,” he said.
