BJP wants CM to resign after SC blow

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, FEB 3: After the Supreme Court recently upheld the May 31, 2016 – ruling by of the former Governor V Shanmuganathan that the post of MDC is not an office of profit, the state unit of the BJP now wants that Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma should step down claiming that Sangma made an attempt to do away with the district council by passing the anti-dual post Act in the assembly.

State BJP president Shibun Lyngdoh on Friday said,   “We demand that the chief minister Mukul Sangma step down as he took the people of the state for a ride by passing such an Act.”

The Prevention of Disqualification (Members of Legislative Assembly, Meghalaya) (Amendment) Act, 2015 was passed by the Congress led MUA-II state government.

This subsequently led to the resignations of at least seven out of eight legislators and also holding of the bye-elections in the KHADC and JHADC for the vacant seats on December last year.

Echoing Lyngdoh’s view, BJP state general secretary David Kharsati said, “He (Mukul) should resign as he has failed miserably and it is time that people should understand that this man wants to do away with the district councils.”

Terming the Act as null and void, Kharsati also announced that the party has decided to allow its MLAs to be elected in 2018 to also contest in the district council elections in 2019.

Stating that the expenditure of over Rs 2 crore for the ADC by polls as unnecessary to the state’s exchequer, he said, “I pity and feel sorry for the seven MLAs who resigned since the bye-elections is now meaningless.”

Hailing the suspended Congress MLA and MDC PN Syiem-who had outrightly refused to relinquish the post of an MDC-for his firm stand on the issue, Kharsati said, “He is the only man who understood the Sixth Schedule.”

Kharsati said clause 6 (a) of the Sixth Schedule clearly states that elected members of the ADC shall hold office for a term of 5 years. When asked, the BJP leader said that the party would also conduct a follow up to ensure that the Amendment Act is declared as null and void.