Meghalaya: ‘BJP will continue to be part of the coalition’ says CM Conrad Sangma

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SHILLONG

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that relations between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling coalition government would not be affected despite attempts by few to play pity politics.

“I can assure that the MLAs of the BJP are very much with this coalition, and they are not all in line with the (BJP) state president. The state president is speaking his mind as an individual. I don’t think it would affect the coalition. The BJP will continue to be part of the coalition,” Sangma told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) coordination committee scheduled for November 26.

Taking a dig at BJP state president Ernest Mawrie and few other party leaders, Sangma said that as of now, pitiful politics is being played by some state leaders in the BJP.

“This is really unnecessary, and they are trying to rake up an issue for their personal attention by speaking to the media,” Sangma said.

“It is important to understand that they will need to act responsibly when they are in a coalition. We need to be working as a team. We need to share and discuss with each other and going to the press is not the way to solve an issue or to remove the communication gap,” he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong denied allegations of neglecting the members of the MDA coalition.

Tynsong made the statement in response to accusations made by the BJP state vice president Bernard Marak that the government had neglected them by not inviting him and state president Ernest Mawrie to the proposed MDA coordination committee meeting.

While questioning Tynsong if the move of the BJP has defamed not only the National People’s Party (NPP) but the whole coalition, Tynsong replied, “Like I’ve mentioned earlier that if BJP feels that to be part of MDA government is uncomfortable, I advise them to leave the coalition. As for now, I have nothing more to say. Let the coordination committee say on November 26, when the meeting will take place.”

(Edited by Christopher Gatphoh)