TURA, July 3 ?The Congress- led state government led by Chief Minister D D Lapang is facing a virtual revolt from his own party MLAs from the Garo Hills over the likely induction of a non-tribal minister in the new cabinet that takes shape shortly. Shortlisting of MLA Manirul Islam Sarkar?s name as one of the probable ministers in the new cabinet that will house twelve members, including the Chief Minister, has not gone down well with the majority Garo population and the Garo MLAs. While Lapang and Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Salseng C Marak have denied any hand in the inclusion of Sarkar?s name in the list attributing it to pressure from the All India Congress Committee in New Delhi, his MLAs think otherwise.
Highly placed sources within the Congress have revealed that the AICC had no hand in the inclusion of Sarkar?s name and it was allegedly done at the behest of MPCC president S C Marak and Chief Minister D D Lapang. There are 24 MLAs from the Garo Hills, a majority of them with the Congress, who are unwilling to digest the idea of a Muslim MLA getting a cabinet berth. This is because only four cabinet berths are to go to the Garo Hills in the new ministry and there are a number of senior Garo MLAs who have been ministers before.
The two leaders were reportedly the sole decision making body in regard to the names of the eleven ministers. PWD Minister, Dr Mukul M Sangma, when contacted over the issue refused to comment merely saying that he was completely unaware of the probable names because he was never consulted on the issue. He added that the decision was taken by the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader and Chief Minister D D Lapang and MPCC president Salseng C Marak and he did not get the opportunity to give any suggestions on the matter.
The Lapang government, while on one hand, is keen to show itself as a ?minority friendly? party by proposing Sarkar?s name thereby appeasing the Muslim votebank, on the other it has to take into consideration the sentiments of the majority Garos who have already refused to accept the appointment of Sarkar. Several social, student and other non-governmental organisations in the Garo Hills have expressed their resentment with the move in more ways than one.
The Garo Students Union (GSU), the A?Chik Youth and Cultural Organisation (AYCO), and the Tura Mothers? Union, among others, have written to the Chief Minister Lapang and other senior Congress leaders urging upon them to reconsider Sarkar?s name. The Mothers? Union faxed a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Tribal Affairs Minister PR Kyndiah expressing strong resentment over the move to induct a non-tribal member as a minister in the cabinet.