No-trust motion against Speaker to be taken up today
SHILLONG: It will be a smooth sailing for the Assembly Speaker AT Mondal when the Opposition moves the no-confidence motion for his removal on Wednesday in Assembly as the ruling side, which has majority support, will insist for a voice vote and not secret ballot.
The reason that the Opposition has cited for the removal of the Speaker is that he had not given sufficient time for the members to take up important matters concerning the state, which, however, was contradicted by the Government as it said that there was lack of participation on the part of members of the Opposition and the issue was not lack of time.
On the eve of the no confidence motion, there was a CLP meeting followed by the meeting of MUA to ensure that the coalition partners are united in defeating the no-confidence motion. The meeting decided to issue whip to the members supporting the Government.
Earlier in the Assembly on Tuesday, the Speaker announced the names of chairpersons to chair the House during the break in absence of Speaker and Deputy Speaker as one of the chairpersons in the panel, Martin Danggo, who was ill, expressed his inability to function as Chairman.
Besides Ronnie Lyngdoh (Cong), others in the panel include Dikkanchi Shira (Cong), Metbah Lyngdoh (UDP) and Nihim D Shira (NPP).
Ronnie Lyngdoh will chair the House when the no confidence motion, listed as the last item, will be taken up in Assembly on Wednesday, the concluding day of the Budget session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prestone Tynsong said that since the no-confidence motion will be taken up for voice vote, the motion will be defeated as the MUA has the support of 42 members (Congress-29, NCP-2 and Independents-11). Tynsong asserted that there is no tradition of taking up the no confidence motion for secret ballot.
It was on March 10 that the letter on the no-confidence motion was submitted jointly by James Sangma (NPP), Witting Mawsor (HSPDP), John Leslee Sangma (Independent), and Jemino Mawthoh (UDP) expressing their lack of confidence on the Speaker.