Shillong, Jan. 23: Meghalaya chief minister F.A. Khonglam?s boat appears to be sinking, as cracks in the 13-month-old People?s Forum of Meghalaya (PFM) coalition have finally began to show.
With polls drawing closer, major allies in the ruling coalition are engaged in a fair amount of mud-slinging, indicating that power was what had kept them bound. With the polls knocking, the parties are going their separate ways, caring little for the coalition?s unity.
Meghalaya power minister Martle Mukhim today slammed the Congress and the NCP for making ?others the scapegoat of their actions?.
Mukhim is also the president of the Meghalaya Democratic Party (MDP), a partner in the ruling coalition.
Congress president Salesng C. Marak and deputy chief minister D.D. Lapang, also the Congress Legislature Party leader, had stated recently that the PFM coalition was ?a mistake which the Congress would like to rectify?.
Releasing the party?s manifesto, both Congress leaders expressed unhappiness on the government?s performance and claimed that ?there was no financial discipline?.
The Congress allegations against the government found favour with the power minister, but he accused the Congress of ?being in the government because they wanted to mint money?.
He asked: ?Why should the Congress leaders now make an issue out of this? Why did they not take up the matter earlier??
?Who are they to rectify mistakes? The public will do it and if they (the Congress leaders) think that they can get away by dumping the blame on others, they are wrong,? Mukhim said.
Taking a dig at the chief minister, Mukhim said: ?Our party remained in the government even after two of our colleagues were dropped to ensure that we can monitor all activities of the government.?
The two senior legislators who were dropped for rebelling against Khonglam are former finance minister A.H. Scott Lyngdoh and general administration department minister D.P. Inagjuh.
?We stayed on in the government and had to face criticism, but we share the responsibility,? he said, claiming that unlike the Congress and other parties, the MDP would not attempt to take mileage of issues like ?non-performance and financial mess?, but focus on ?developing human resources?. The power minister is known for his political clout in the whole state.