SHILLONG, July 29: There’s more than meets the eye in the sudden decision to drop AL Hek from the cabinet. Although white-washed as BJP’s “internal arrangement” to share the solitary party quota in the cabinet between the two MLAs of the party, insiders say that it was a smart political manoeuvre by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to quell internal dissensions in the ruling coalition.
Sources said that it was an inevitable outcome of internecine friction between Sangma and Hek over the past few months.
According to a cabinet minister who did not want to be named, the relationship between the two had begun to sour since March this year over a number of proposals that the chief minister brought before the cabinet which were vetoed by Hek.
The minister recalled that in one cabinet meeting, Hek put his foot down on the proposal to construct a multi-crore commercial complex on the MTC premises at Police Bazar.
On another occasion, Hek was vocal against the move to secure a big loan from HUDCO for developing a one-acre plot of land. Although the chief minister did not overtly react to Hek’s strident opposition to such moves, the statement of Hek after media expose of the scam in the Saubhagya scheme, hardened Sangma’s stance.
The chief minister was also apparently unhappy with Hek on certain decisions taken by him regarding COVID management by the Health Department, the sources said. He merely bided his time.
Meanwhile, according to another minister, all ten cabinet colleagues belonging to the Khasi-Jaintia Hills met in the chamber of Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong seeking to write a joint letter urging the chief minister to take action against Power Minister James Sangma. When reports that the cabinet colleagues were ganging up against his elder brother reached Conrad’s ears he made up his mind to take decisive action.
Fortunately for him, state BJP President Ernest Mawrie unwittingly came to his rescue. Mawrie sent a letter to the chief minister asking that Hek be replaced by Sanbor Shullai as per the party’s internal understanding. This letter came as a God-send for Conrad Sangma who did not lose much time to act.
Speculations are rife that Conrad kept Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the loop but maintained a discreet silence.
That explains why the decision to unseat Hek from the cabinet came to him as a bolt from the blue. He was quoted as saying that it came as a rude shock to him. Conrad’s action is a political message to all dissenters to mind their actions, the insiders say.
