Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA for South Shillong, Sanbor Shullai, has once again found himself at odds with the state party machinery as he backed Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui to remain in his job.
Yesterday, BJP state President Ernest Mawrie had demanded the resignation of Rymbui for failing to control illegal coal mining in Meghalaya. Six miners had died in an accident at a mine in East Jaiñtia Hills on January 21.
Shullai has previously disagreed publicly with his own party members, such as when he backed the BJP’s coalition allies when they were under attack by the saffron party for alleged corruption in the district councils.
“I do not concur with the statement demanding the resignation of the state Home Minister by Ernest Mawrie,” Shullai told reporters today.
He said that as an MLA and member of the coordination committee of the party, he does not have any knowledge of the demand made by the state President.
When asked if there is a division amongst the party in Meghalaya, Shullai said, “Not only is there a division in the party after Ernest Mawrie took over as the President of the BJP in Meghalaya, the party is also decreasing and sinking.”
As proof of this he said that many party members had quit after Mawrie took over as President.
Shullai said that the party will soon convene a meeting to discuss the issues related to the allegations made by Mawrie against the BJP’s partners in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
According to him, many of the former members of the BJP have told him that if he and cabinet minister AL Hek convince them to return to the party they will gladly do so. Both the MLAs have been given a directive by the party headquarters to support the MDA and they have complied, he added.
The South Shillong MLA, however, said that there are occasional comments made to the media by senior party members that go against this by attacking the coalition partners.
“All we see is that Mawrie, along with a few other members, are making statements that are not the views of the entire Meghalaya BJP,” Shullai added.
