Cloud of uncertainty

Overcoming stiff resistance, D. D. Lapang stages a come back as the Chief Minister ending the eight-month-old regime of J. D. Rymbai.

North East News Agency

It’s Lapang once again. Despite all odds and overcoming stiff resistance, D. D. Lapang has staged a come back as the Chief Minister as per the wish of AICC ending the eight-month old regime of JD Rymbai. It was on June 15 last year that Mr Rymbai was sworn in as the Chief Minister replacing Mr. Lapang. However, the power struggle between Mr. Lapang and Mr. Rymbai continued since then, culminating in Mr Lapang assuming office again.

Mr. Lapang was sworn in by Governor M. M. Jacob followed by Dr Mukul Sangma, R. G. Lyngdoh, Prestone Tynsong, Manirul Islam Sarkar, Paul Lyngdoh. Nehlang Lyngdoh who was away in Guwahati was sworn in as Minister.

There is no minister of state in the present ministry. After the swearing-in ceremony, Mr. Lapang called a cabinet meeting to discuss the Governor’s address and the preparation for budget session. After the cabinet meeting, Mr. Lapang said that he was committed to provide stable government till the end of the term. He also indicated that portfolios would be allocated later.

Earlier, Mr. Rymbai bowed down to the Congress high command directive and resigned from the top post in favour of Mr. Lapang.

In a day of hectic political drama, Mr Rymbai met AICC observer and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi in which Mr Dasmunshi asked the Chief Minister to comply with the AICC directive. The meeting, which lasted for half an hour, culminated in the decision of the Chief Minister to resign. Later Mr Rymbai met his loyalists and then proceeded straight to Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation letter to the Governor.

Speaking to reporters before submitting his resignation letter to the Governor, Mr Rymbai said that it was necessary to break the political deadlock in view of the Budget session and also the visit of President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to address the House on March 16.

“The decision on my part is to end this crisis once and for all,” Mr Rymbai said adding that he had to abide by the decision of the party high command in this regard. He said that this decision is one way a compromise after agreeing on a 50-50 share in the ministerial berth from both the camps.

At a press conference Mr Dasmunshi described Mr Rymbai as a true gentleman for having agreed to abide by the decision of the high command. He said that later he met the regional party leaders and they also agreed to continue their support to the present coalition.

Before meeting the press, Mr Dasmunshi also chaired a brief CLP meeting where Mr Rymbai himself proposed the name of Mr DD Lapang to be the new CLP leader which was seconded by other members of the CLP.

The new Cabinet has no representative from West Khasi Hills. Boldness L Nongum and Irin Lyngdoh are the two Congress legislators from the district apart from Assembly Speaker Martin M Dangngo.

After days of dithering Chief Minister J D finally submitted his resignation to Governor M M Jacob to pave way for Mr D D Lapang to head the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government in the State.

Mr Rymbai, who was defiant for the past five days to Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s directive to step down, relinquished office after a closed-door meeting with senior AICC leader and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

‘’I have been asked by Mr Dasmunsi to abide by the party high command’s decision to quit and pave way for Mr Lapang,’’ Mr. Rymbai told reporters after handing over his resignation letter to Mr. Jacob. After that D D Lapang  staked claim to form a government in the State.

Earlier, Mr Rymbai had said his decision to put in his papers was taken after thorough deliberation with 14 of his ‘loyal’ Congress MLAs who unanimously asked him to quit.

On March 6, Congress president Sonia Gandhi held a closed-door meeting with Mr Rymbai in Delhi in presence of AICC in-charge (North East) Oscar Fernandes and ordered him to quit and hand over the reins to Mr. Lapang.

However, Mr. Rymbai initially defied the party diktat and said he would quit only after consulting ‘’loyal Congress MLAs’’ and his coalition partners. Incidentally, Mr Rymbai had taken over the mantle from Mr Lapang on June 15 last year after 17 Congress legislators accused the latter of indulging in ‘’manipulative politics’’.

Two ministers of the new government are brothers - Dr Mukul A Sangma and Zenith Sangma.

There are two Deputy Chief Ministers in the new government. They are UDP president Dr Donkupar Roy and Dr Mukul Sangma. Dr Sangma had been holding the position in the previous Lapang-led MDA government.

Assembly Speaker Martin M Danggo did not attend the oath taking ceremony. Mr Lapang said that it was due to “Raj Bhavan’s communication gap.”

Lapang’s confidante Sayeedullah Nongrum skipped the oath taking ceremony. The reason is that Mr Sarkar was sworn in as a Minister.

Four Rymbai loyalists, including three Cabinet ministers, were retained in the new ministry headed by D. D. Lapang. Among those who were retained in the new ministry were Robert G Lyngdoh, Prestone Tynsong and Manirul Islam Sarkar. Charles Pyngrope was also sworn in as a Minister. Five others lost their ministerial positions and they are Elstone D Marak, Shitlang Pale, Irin Lyngdoh, Brening Sangma and Sengran Sangma.

They were the ones who had initiated the move to bring back DD Lapang to power again. However, they have not been accommodated in his ministry. KK Dkhar, who first expressed his voice of dissent against JD Rymbai in June last has failed to get berth in Lapang ministry this time. So also other die-hard supporters of Lapang -  Tonsing Marak, Tony Curtis Lyngdoh and Boldness Nongum. These legislators had earlier in June last year supported Rymbai to oust Lapang. Moreover, former ministers, Mr Sayeedullah Nongrum and Mr HDR Lyngdoh were also not inducted in the present Cabinet. Mr Nongrum even did not attend the swearing-in ceremony.

The resentment in Congress is likely to surface again with the supporters of these leaders expressing concern over the manner in which the Cabinet portfolios have been allocated. However, since four legislators from both the factions have been inducted in the ministry, the resentment is likely to be short-lived. When contacted, Mr Boldness said, “soldiers who fight for the country have to die,” indicating the need for sacrifice in the best interests of the State. Mr Dkhar only commented thus: “We are the kingmakers”.

AICC observer and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi that no one can question the Congress party.

When reporters asked the reason behind Mr Rymbai’s dismissal, Mr Dasmunshi said that, “no one can question the Indian National Congress.” The AICC observer, who was apparently angry with the volley of questions from media persons on the issue, did not reply to the questions stating that he was in a hurry.

Making a complete u-turn, the regional parties changed their stand overnight in supporting Mr DD Lapang. When asked UDP leader Dr Donkupar Roy said that they would support the MDA government irrespective of who becomes its leader. KHNAM president Mr Paul Lyngdoh too said “though we have consistently opposed the frequent change of leadership, but since the Chief Minister Mr Rymbai himself thought it fit to resolve the internal issue of the party with his resignation then the regional parties have nothing to say in it”.

Moreover, he said that as partners of the MDA coalition there was no question of pulling out and “we will definitely allow the MDA to continue.”

It was the chiefs of UDP, MDP and KHNAM jointly wrote a letter to the AICC asking to retain Mr Rymbai till the end of the term.

However, finally they pledged their support to Mr Lapang.

It is no secret that money is a huge temptation for the Congress party. Some cement majors interested in setting up factories in Jaintia Hills are alleged to have made big donations to the Congress coffers to meet election expenses in UP and, Punjab. JD Rymbai was not giving a blanket clearance to interested parties to set up cement plants. This came in the way of his holding on to the hot seat. But few in the State could imagine that Rymbai would give in to Sonia Gandhi’s diktat quite so meekly.

Speaking to this writer, Mr Rymbai said, “Madam Sonia Gandhi asked me to step down so I am doing it because I had committed to abide by the decision of the AICC supremo. I asked her whether I should go back to Shillong immediately or attend the Planning Meeting scheduled for March 7-8. She told me to attend the meeting and then return to the State to hand over the reins to Lapang. For all practical purposes, therefore, JD Rymbai ceases to be the Chief Minister of Meghalaya as of March 6. So can the Planning Commission engage with a lame duck chief minister?

What about the regional coalition partners who were ready to support Rymbai to the hilt? Did they know he would give in so easily? Also the moot point is whether the coalition partners will accept Lapang as the undisputed leader of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance. What would happen if Lapang fails to get the vote of confidence on the floor of the House, should the coalition partners demand it? Meghalaya would head for a constitutional crisis. But political observers maintain that even such a situation is far better than a perpetual state of indecisiveness.

Close on the heels of Sonia Gandhi’s directive to Rymbai to step down from and allow Lapang to take over, CNN IBN does an expose on Mani Kumar Subba, alleged to be a Nepali citizen with a criminal record. Subba has four different dates of birth and his fudged records show him born at four different places. The Congress could not have been blind to Subba’s antecedents. The party only tried to protect him for as long as it could, even gagging the CBI so that it looked like a blundering machine.

In Meghalaya the Congress led government at the time had taken a cabinet decision to sell the MeSEB to MK Subba. Thankfully the opposition then had some spine to stop the deal. This only endorses the point that the Congress party will protect all who have the money to buy their way through, never mind their criminal records. Even corruption will be condoned as long as the person involved is not caught red-handed taking money. At least this is Sonia Gandhi’s message to Meghalaya.

That the cement lobby stood to lose much ground under the Rymbai government was the talk of the town. All kinds of companies from outside the state were in the queue just waiting for Lapang to take over. Now they will be laughing their way to the Secretariat. Two of the cement companies that have set up shop in Lumshnong are alleged to have violated the stipulated norms A company investing under Rs 100 crores requires environmental clearance only from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) But reputed, consultants spoken to have testified that both companies have a generating capacity of 1800 tonnes per day as they have installed kilns with a diameter of 4.38. 

On paper these companies show that they produce only 900 tonnes per day and that they have installed only a 3.8 diameter kiln. These companies have totally violated all environmental norms. To generate that quantum of cement the companies should have invested a minimum of Rs 200 crores. In effect therefore they have invested 99 crores white money and the rest is black money. The poisoning of Wah Lukha in Jaintia Hills is a stinking affair that is linked to all these underhand deals. This matter needs to be investigated by a reputed independent agency.

The SPCB has already taken water samples from Wah Lukha and the testing process is on. But can the same agency that gave clearance to companies also testify against them? The SPCB is already an interested party here Under Mr Lapang, Jaintia Hills is set to become a cement district where companies will be allowed to violate all environmental norms provided they pay the right people.

If Lapang is allowed to continue for one whole year the damage to the State will be irreparable. The question now is whether the 59 legislators will also join hands in pilfering the State’s resources. Power thefts at the Byrnihat Industrial Park had reached spiraling heights The same money accumulated from power thefts is used to invest in cement plants. At this juncture the citizen can do precious little to put a stop to the great loot But what they can do is follow in the example of UP. Citizens can file a PIL demanding an enquiry into the disproportionate assets and wealth of Mr Lapang

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