Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday said there is no a tussle between the state government and the Raj Bhavan in view of the political situation in the KHADC.
“We have not yet gone through the file, and what noting the governor has put in. So, accordingly, we will see what is required,” said the Meghalaya CM.
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Also read: KHADC: Guv hasn’t followed rules, says Meghalaya deputy CM
The Meghalaya government wanted Governor Tathagata Roy to approve the imposition of Administrator’s Rule after an executive committee collapsed in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC).
The ruling and opposition got 14 votes each during the voting of the ‘no confidence’ motion, but the chairman, P N Syiem, voted for the ‘no confidence’ motion which led to the collapse of the executive committee.
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To a question that the state government is in a tussle with the Raj Bhavan over the KHADC issue, Conrad said, “I don’t think there is anything like that. We have to see what the governor has said in the file.”
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“Maybe, he had his legal and constitutional points that are there. Once we go through, we will take a call how to move forward.”
“I don’t think that one has to look at the tussle. It is just a procedural matter and the governor has taken a call based on his own view point, and we will see the file and decide how to move,” Conrad said.
The chief minister also said it is not the time now to say, do away with ADCs.
He said may be the right time to discuss this issue was when Meghalaya was given statehood.
“Now, the ADCs have come up as institution with their own power, rules, identity and jurisdiction, and they have been functioning as another layer of governance,” the CM said.
“Arguing at this point and time on that aspect is too late. We should have been discussed way back in 1972 when the state was formed because earlier the ADCs exist mainly because we were part of Assam and the recognition was given to different tribes,” he added.
Though the state government wanted the governor to take a call on the need to impose administrator’s rule in KHADC, yet the governor approved the election of the new CEM, Latiplang Kharkongor, held on Nov 22, after the collapse of the Executive Committee led by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
On Tuesday evening, members of the UDA were to meet the chief minister, but the meeting did not happen as the chief minister had to leave for Delhi.
Later, the members met deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong and raised the issue related to election of Kharkongor as the CEM especially when the state government has not issued any notification.
Kharkongor was backed by the Congress and got elected as the new CEM when members of UDA were not present in the House.
“We wanted to know from the governor, what are the facts and hidden consideration that he approved the CEM without going through the district council affairs department,” senior member of the council, Bindo M Lanong asked.
Lanong said it was a clear case that the governor has made a mistake, and the state government should not allow further mistake to happen, especially if the list of executive members reached the governor’s office.