Mukul’s ‘no’ to no red beacon on Govt vehicles
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma on Tuesday rejected the idea of following on the footsteps of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to shun the use of red beacon lights and giving up his official bungalow.
Replying to a query on any action plan by him to check the use of red beacons in Meghalaya and also to move out of his official bungalow built at a cost of over Rs 10 crore, the Chief Minister said he does not believe in populist strategies.
“This is a populist strategy of politicians,” Dr. Sangma said without naming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.
While stating that different people have different approach to governance, Dr. Sangma said that the focus of the State Government is to bring about a change in the State. “We don’t need to replicate somebody’s approach,” he said.
It may be mentioned that all AAP Cabinet ministers in the national capital have decided to give up their security and have also declined to use the sprawling bungalows allocated to the ministers. Kejriwal has also decided to do away with red beacons on vehicles.
Dr. Sangma, however, had a different take on the entire matter saying that his bungalow was meant for the purpose of fulfilling his responsibilities as the Chief Minister even as he said working in one room in his own house had affected the efficiency of the Chief Minister.
“I had earlier worked in a room in my own house and I found it affected my efficiency,” the Chief Minister pointed out.
While defending his decision to continue his stay at his official bungalow, the Chief Minister said, “This is not a luxury but a necessity.”
