SHILLONG:
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, on September 7, said that it was up to the coalition partners whether to exit the government while adding that the BJP national leadership would certainly communicate to him if the party has any issues.
The chief minister was reacting to a recent statement made by the BJP national vice-president in-charge, Meghalaya Chuba Ao that the party will decide to pull out of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government within a month’s time.
According to Sangma, Ao’s personal statement cannot be taken as the stand of the BJP as a party.
“I am sure if there are concerns, the national leadership of the BJP will definitely communicate and discuss with us,” he told reporters.
He said if the party had concerns it would be united and all will together raise their voice, but when the particular individual (Ao) comes up with a statement there is nobody to support him and most of the party leaders and MLAs say otherwise.
On Ao’s claim that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would come after the MDA government for alleged corruption, the chief minister said all coalition partners have been working together and so they must know that while pointing a finger at the government three are pointing at them.
Sangma said Ao’s statement indicated that he has some personal agenda and some personal grudge but noting comes out of his statements as their own MLAs and party leaders do not agree with him.
He said he would leave it to the decision of the individual party on whether to pull out or not from the government.
“We can’t stop them and tell them they have to be here as it is purely their decision but are we saying one should leave, we are not. We have worked with so many coalition partners, we respect them even now, we stick to our coalition dharma, we ensure we give them space, independence, and also we come together for any kind of important decision we make,” he added.
Meanwhile, the chief minister further maintained that the National People’s Party (NPP) never had pre pre-poll alliance with any political party during elections.
“When we formed the government here in 2018, that time we contested separately; we did not have any pre-poll alliance then. We did not have any pre-poll alliance with any political party. When NPP contested the elections in Manipur in 2017, we never had any pre-poll alliance, neither in Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam nor in Meghalaya. So we never had a pre-poll alliance with anybody in any elections.”
Stating the pre-poll alliance does not go with the NPP’s beliefs, he said, “The fact is we are here to convince the people to fight elections on our ideologies. Therefore, if we do that we are diluting it by having a pre-poll alliance.”
