South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai was sworn in as a cabinet minister today at Raj Bhavan, taking the place of his BJP party colleague AL Hek.
Shullai said afterwards that the decision was according to a directive of the party high command.
“The BJP is a disciplined national party and whatever directive comes from the central leadership we have to abide by it,” he told reporters.
After Shullai took the oath, which was administered by Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the cabinet berth sharing had been agreed to in 2018 when the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance took power, with the two BJP MLAs meant to trade places midway through the five-year term, which was last year.
However, current BJP Meghalaya president Ernest Mawrie was not “privy to the decision taken in 2018” as he assumed office only later, the CM said. This caused a “slight communication gap”, which meant that Shullai had to wait more than two and a half years before getting his place in the cabinet.
“After I received a written letter from the BJP president, Meghalaya state unit, referring and mentioning to the decision of 2018 that Sanbor Shullai should be inducted into the cabinet, this decision was taken today,” Sangma said, adding that it has not been decided what portfolio Shullai, who was the Deputy Speaker prior to 2018, will hold.
While both Hek and Shullai have expressed, publicly, disagreements with the way Mawrie has led the Meghalaya BJP, it is Hek who has become a strong contender to replace the incumbent president.
Meanwhile, on his aims and objectives on being elevated to cabinet minister, Shullai said, “I will continue to serve the poor and downtrodden like I always do and with regards to the portfolio, this will entirely rely on the Chief Minister to decide.”
