Shillong, Aug 23: Assembly Speaker Thomas Sangma has given a clean chit to the defection of three Congress MLAs to the National People’s Party (NPP).
Speaking to reporters here today, Sangma said that he has taken his decision after examining it legally and found that it was in order.
Although there is an anti-defection law applicable to Parliament and Assemblies, when there is a large enough proportion of legislators who wish to defect, they can institute a “merger” with another party. The three Congress MLAs made up 75 percent of the party’s strength in the Assembly, which was more than enough to get around the anti-defection law.
“Hence I made my decision to allow them to merge with NPP,” Sangma said, adding that two-thirds (67 percent) is required for a merger.
However, Trinamool Congress MLA Dr Mukul Sangma questioned the legality. Before they formally defected, the Congress Party had suspended two of the MLAs and suspended MLAs cannot be signatories of any decision to merge the party with another.
“They cannot decide to merge with any political party. That is the technicality. That is why a party would try to pre-empt the chances of a split by suspending them,” Dr Sangma explained.
The Congress has also previously said that it is considering legal action against the turncoats.
However, the Speaker, who belongs to the NPP also, said that no formal suspension order was received by him from the Congress and he is unable to make rulings based on what is reported in the press.
As far as appointing a new Leader of the Opposition is concern, the Speaker said that his office may soon issue a de-notification order unless the incumbent LOP, Ronnie Lyngdoh of the Congress, resigns as he is only member of his party in the house.
Informing that no submission has come from any political party for appointing Leader of the Opposition, he said that non-submission gives him time to think and examine.
An official opposition has to represent at least 10 percent of the total strength of the Assembly. No opposition party has the numbers, though the TMC is currently the biggest with five MLAs (one short of the six required).
