The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has slammed Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong that his statement that only in-service officers should be in the State Lokayukta is misleading and laced in lies.
VPP Spokesperson, Batskhem Myrboh said the officers who were removed recently by the state government were appointed in 2022. “One of the officers was appointed for a term of three years while the other two were appointed for a term of five years but they were removed in the middle of their tenure of service. The fact remains that when they were appointed, there was no such rules that they are liable to be removed without the end of their tenure,” he told Highland Post.
Myrboh pointed out that the Lokayukta never stated that the appointees should be the in-service only and based on this very fact that the three officers were appointed earlier.
He also said that before these officers who were removed, the government had appointed other retired officers at the Lokayukta office.
“The reason cited by the government was that the law does not permit and that they were appointed temporarily. All these are work of liars,” he said, adding, “The three were removed because they refused to obey the will of the liars.”
“The NPP thinks that the people of the state are unwise and lack the power of understanding to believe the baseless words of the NPP,” he added.
He further said that Yesterday’s episode clearly shows that they wanted to conceal what they had committed and they wanted to hide under other laws like the CRPC so that they could use the police to frighten the VPP leaders.
Yesterday the Deputy Chief Minister maintained that the MDA government would not reinstate the three Lokayukta officials nor will it invite the VPP for a talk.
He reiterated that the government has proceeded on the matter as per the rules and procedures of the Meghalaya Lokayukta Act that states that only in-service officers should be in the State Lokayukta.
The State government had removed Lokayukta’s Director of Inquiry and Prosecution, Jainal Rymmai and two enquiry officers – Anil K. Sangma and Rymphang Pde. The officials were unceremoniously sacked via WhatsApp messages.
It was this trio who had unearthed an alleged scam worth crores of rupees that purportedly involved NPP MLA, Sanjay Sangma, who is also the brother-in-law of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
Following their investigation, the court of the Lokayukta had charge-sheeted Sanjay Sangma, nine former GHADC executive committee members, two contractors, and a former Principal Secretary of the GHADC.
The investigation followed a complaint by activist Kingstone B Sangma.
The alleged scam in question relates to the construction of a hostel for MDCs of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in Tura. The project is worth more than Rs 6 crore. The MDC hostel was funded by the central government.
Later, on the recommendation of the State government, the Lokayukta chairperson Bhalang Dhar has appointed Israel W. Ingty as the new Director of the Inquiry Wing and three other members – Challang G. Momin, John Clitzer Sangma and Baniateilang Diengngan.
