It looks like Lahkmen Rymbui will have to continue as home minister.
Rymbui had resigned as home minister on August 15 amid the violence in Shillong in the wake of the police killing of former HNLC leader Cherishterfield Thangkhiew on August 13.
Even the UDP leadership had supported the resignation of Rymbui from the home portfolio after he briefed party leaders of what happened and his desire to quit the post.
However, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has rejected the resignation letter sent by Rymbui and said that the cabinet as a whole takes collective responsibility for whatever happened.
According to sources, the NPP is playing a political game to teach UDP a lesson for taking the home portfolio which was earlier held by James Sangma of the NPP.
James Sangma who is the elder brother of the chief minister was stripped of the home portfolio on February 12 following various allegations being levelled against him regarding illegal transportation of coal.
The UDP was happy when the home portfolio was given to its minister Lahkmen Rymbui. It readily welcomed the decision of the chief minister.
Now when Rymbui wants to quit as home minister, the NPP is paying the UDP in its own coin by asking him to stay.
The chief minister was reportedly unhappy with the public statement made by some UDP leaders on the incident related to the killing of Thangkhiew.
So by asking Rymbui to continue as home minister, the chief minister is putting the UDP in a tight spot given the public anger against the government in general and Rymbui in particular as far as Thangkhiew’s killing is concerned.
