TURA:
Refusing to back down in the face of a rebellion against his leadership by a majority of his own MDCs, NPP Chief Executive Member of GHADC Benedic R Marak has now taken the bull by its horns and taken the battle to his rivals.
In a swift move aimed at cutting his opponents to size, CEM Benedic Marak has axed three MDCs of the ruling alliance from positions of power in the GHADC.
NPP MDC from Nogorpara and cousin of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Linekar K Sangma, has been removed from the post of Chairman of Garo Hills Growers association by the CEM through a notification on Tuesday.
Another NPP MDC Sengchim N Sangma has been axed from the post of Chairman of the Planning Advisory Committee.
The third MDC to be dismissed is Independent Zikzak mdc Aktar Ali from the post of Chairman of Forest Advisory Committee.
The CEM has now ordered all files pertaining to the three positions be routed directly through his office until further orders.
With this latest move, battle lines have been drawn between the CEM and his opponents from the ruling alliance and Benedic Marak is said to be having the support of the opposition Trinamool Congress with its 9 MDCs and another NPP MDC Dhormonath Sangma.
The CEM has been facing a storm since the start of this month after it was revealed that he had been reaching out to the opposition TMC to hold on to power after a majority of the ruling MDCs approached the NPP high command seeking his dismissal.
The controversy erupting from alleged misusing of central schemes to pay salaries instead of utilising for constituency development works has been blamed on the CEM leading to much bad blood between the two sides from the same alliance.