Top UDP leaders have backed party’s general secretary Jemino Mawthoh over the latter’s call for James Sangma to be removed as Power Minister.
Speaking to Highland Post today, UDP’s chief adviser Bindo Lanong Lanong said that the decision of the party to demand removal of the Power Minister was taken jointly by party leaders.
Lanong emphasised that the party does not want James Sangma removed from government completely but only from the power portfolio, as in a cabinet reshuffle, which is “a normal procedure”.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement signed by UDP working presidents, Paul Lyngdoh and Titosstarwell Chyne and vice president Allantry Dkhar, the party said that as general secretary, Mawthoh was empowered to sign all documents authorised by the UDP.
They said that the party stands firm on its call for James Sangma to be removed.
However, the trio said that they did not want to “wash dirty linen in public” and leave it to the wisdom of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to take the matter forward.
Lyngdoh, Chyne and Dkhar also cited paucity of time as the reason given for the party’s non-consultation with its MLAs and ministers on the matter.
“The UDP regrets the fact that, due to paucity of time and the erratic mobile network, again a problem arising out of the power crisis, it was not able to take on board its ministers in the government,” they said.
The release also took a dig at the National People’s Youth Front (NPYF), the youth wing of National People’s Party, which had yesterday dubbed Mawthoh as a career opportunist and Congress party mouthpiece.
“We regret the fact that those who are blinded are possibly forcibly induced with ignorance on the ongoing depredations of the MeECL, which, if not addressed suitably, is going to lead to its collapse,” the three UDP leaders said.
It may be recalled that on March 22 evening, Mawthoh had written a brief letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma stating that the UDP wanted the removal of James Sangma and the Chairman and Managing Director of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL), Arun Kumar Kembhavi, over the troubles plaguing the power sector in the State.
UDP legislator and cabinet minister Lahkmen Rymbui then appeared to distance himself from Mawthoh’s letter, saying that he had no intimation of such a demand being made by the UDP.
However, Bindo Lanong backed Mawthoh while trying to take the edge off the NPP youth wing’s outrage.
“The reason we have demanded the removal of James Sangma from the power portfolio is that this will allow the Chief Minister to intervene and streamline the matter and reshuffle the power portfolio, which is a normal procedural practice in the State and all over the country,” he stated.
When asked whether Mawthoh had taken a unilateral decision on behalf of the party, Lanong said, “Mawthoh has not gone mad to take such steps in his capacity. We took this decision accordingly in the presence of most of the UDP leaders on March 22, except for some of the members, including the president of the party, Metbah Lyngdoh, who is in Delhi. Mawthoh as a secretary of the party did what was collectively decided by the UDP leaders.”
Stating that all the dues the MeECL owes to NEEPCO should be cleared, Lanong claimed that the dues were inherited by the present government from the previous Congress-led government.
“All these issues have arisen because there are people who don’t understand what they are doing and the public, who only crave money during the election, are to be blamed for such happenings,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement issued today evening, Lanong said that Mawthoh’s demand for removal of James Sangma from the power portfolio “was either misunderstood or misconstrued by those who tried to policise the issue”.
He also said that reshuffling of the cabinet or the subjects of the ministers, is not an uncommon practice even in the Union Ministry and everywhere in the states.
“As a matter of fact, the proposal given by the UDP general secretary was on the basis of consultation with party leaders and in response to the growing voice of the public during exigency of the matter, to help solve the situation,” Lanong added.
