SHILLONG: Assembly Deputy Speaker, Timothy D Shira believes that the ‘anti-Congress’ stand of the coalition partners will bind them together and ensure that the MDA completes its five-year term and even go beyond.
“All the coalition partners in the ruling coalition are ‘anti-Congress’. This will help bind them and I am confident that the present alliance government would last its full term. May be it will go beyond the term,” Shira told media persons here on Thursday.
Stating that the coalition governments of the past were ‘loose’ and hence did not survive, he said the MPA government, which collapsed a year later after its formation, had the support of only 31 MLAs, and it was bound to collapse.
“The present coalition government led by NPP has the support of almost 40 MLAs. It is growing from strength to strength with the passage of time,” he claimed.
“Under the leadership of chief minister Conrad K Sangma, there are more MLAs who are keen to be part of the present coalition government,” the Deputy Speaker said.
When asked if the Congress in Meghalaya is trying to destablise the present government, he took a dig, saying, “It is the duty of the Opposition to destablise the present government. Whether former chief minister, Mukul Sangma will be able to destablise the present government is the biggest question,” he said.
Referring to the decision of Congress legislator of Ranikor, Martin M Danggo to switch to NPP, he said the Congress did not pay any heed to Danggo’s demand for creation of Ranikor civil sub-division despite him being in the party for so many years.
“The present government feels it is fully justified to create the civil sub-division since Ranikor is one of the most backward areas of the state,” Shira said.
He said the people of Ranikor area, irrespective of party affiliation, would support Danggo in the bye-election if he decided to resign as an MLA.
