No talks on new BJP face in cabinet or dropping BJP ministers: CM Conrad
Shillong, Oct 6: In what can put an end to all speculations about any possible defections in the National People’s Party (NPP), all 33 NPP MLAs gathered at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister and the party chief Conrad K Sangma in Shillong on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Ministers Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar were among the NPP legislators at the meeting held at the Chief Minister’s official residence.
The party leadership including the Chief Minister and the two Deputy CMs has strongly denied reports circulating on social media about attempts to persuade NPP MLAs by the BJP to shift allegiance, especially in the wake of eight UDP MLAs merging with the saffron party.
The Chief Minister rubbished reports that a large number of NPP legislators are looking to join the BJP, asserting that the MDA-II government under his leadership remains stable.
Dismissing the reports as baseless, Sangma said, “These are nothing but speculations and these are nothing but imaginations from certain sections.”
“These have been basically imaginations which people have speculated and jump to conclusions,” he said.
The chief minister said certain sections and the media have created such concerns.
“Let me assure the MLAs, the coalition and the public at large that there is no such thought process and there is nothing of concern in this particular matter,” he said.
Sangma also asserted that the NPP-led MDA government is stable.
“Absolutely, the MDA-II government is very stable. The NPP on its own has 33 MLAs who are absolutely intact and we also have our coalition partners,” he said.
The Chief Minister also rubbished alleged reports that BJP ministers will be dropped from the MDA cabinet and that the BJP is trying to break the NPP to form its own government.
He also clarified that there are no talks on inducting anyone from the 8 new BJP faces in the cabinet.
Refuting the reports, he said, “The NPP had got absolute majority with 33 MLAs and if so desired it would have dropped its coalition partners during the last cabinet reshuffle.”
“As a coalition and even as a political party, we are very clear on the principles that we have built this coalition and one of those principles is to ensure we work together,” he said.
Stating that the coalition partners have recommitted themselves to the MDA, he said, “I have been speaking to the leadership of the political parties of all the coalition partners and from the coalition politics point of view they have all agreed and recommitted themselves to the coalition.”
However, he said, they mentioned about their internal issues that led to recent merger of UDP MLAs with the BJP.
On inclusion of any new BJP MLA in cabinet, Sangma said, “There is no particular intention to induct any minister from the MLAs who had recently joined the BJP.”
Asserting that shifting of 8 UDP MLAs to the BJP does not indicate distress in coalition politics, he said, “One could speculate that there is some kind of a mistrust… but the movement has taken place from a partner in the coalition to another partner… Therefore the question of mistrust does not arise.”
On the impact of the development on Meghalaya politics, Sangma said, “Individual constituencies may be affected… from the coalition point of view and from the governance point of view, there is absolutely no impact.”
The meeting also discussed organisational matters and issues concerning the functioning of the NPP and the MDA government, with the leadership and legislators reaffirming their focus on strengthening the party and the ruling alliance.
