Meghalaya: BJP leaders want ouster of Ernest Mawrie as party president, claims Conrad Sangma

SHILLONG:

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday claimed that majority of the BJP leaders including the two legislators- Alexander Laloo Hek and Sanbor Shullai- wants the ouster of Ernest Mawrie as the State party president.

"I have spoken to both the MLAs of the BJP and both of them have distanced themselves from the comments he (Mawrie) has made. Both of them (are) in favour of Ernest Mawrie being removed from the post of the State president of the BJP," Sangma told reporters here today.

The Meghalaya Chief Minister further claimed that he had also spoken to more than half of the BJP leaders in the state and they wanted the removal of Mawrie from the post of president.

"Even the national leaders are also upset at the way the president of BJP is handling the situation. The rest is up to to the BJP. I am just telling the internal feelings of the party members and more importantly the legislators of the BJP who are completely against the State BJP president," Sangma added.

The State BJP president, Ernest Mawrie has been constantly lashing out at the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government over several issues in the state.

Recently, he blamed the NPP-led MDA government of misleading the Centre and the Union Minister for Coal, Prahlad Joshi on the issue of illegal coal mining and transportation.

Joshi had recently informed the Rajya Sabha that there was no occurrence of illegal coal mining in Meghalaya or any major revenue loss to the state. His statement had garnered criticisms from several quarters including the state BJP who accused the NPP of misleading the Union Minister by providing false information on the issue.