Two days before the start of the Assembly’s Autumn Session, the members of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) were brought together here today to be briefed on what is expected of them when the house sits.
Matters that were discussed included the Congress’ no confidence motion in the Speaker, and expected attacks by the opposition on the law and order situation in the state and proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“The entire objective was to bring the MDA partners together to prepare for the upcoming session, starting on September 10,” Chief Minister Conrad Sangma informed reporters after the meeting.
The motion to remove the Speaker, Metbah Lyngdoh, will be defeated, Sangma said confidently, as all the MDA’s legislators have resolved to be united.
Meanwhile, on the demand for the suspension of the police officers who were involved in the raid that led to the death of ex-militant Cherishterfield Thangkhiew, the CM said that the government has been consistent is saying that the inquiry constituted to look into the incident must concluded before any such action is taken.
“It is completely unfair for us to take action against anybody without any proper inquiry and finding out who the responsible people are. Therefore, it is not possible for us to say who were responsible or who were not and that is the reason why we have instituted this probe,” Sangma said.
This is unlikely to satisfy the various groups that have called for the police officers’ suspension as they are likely to point out that the police personnel whose weapons were snatched by masked youth in the tense days following Thangkhiew’s death were immediately suspended.
