Meghalaya House deal spectre returns to haunt Khonglam

SHILLONG, April 25 ? The spectre of the controversial Meghalaya House deal, which brought down the EK Mawlong Government in December last year, has returned to haunt the Government of his successor FA Khonglam, with a coalition partner demanding axing of the Finance Minister for his links to the scam, reports PTI. The United Democratic Party, a major partner of the ruling coalition, People?s Forum of Meghalaya demanding the head of Finance Minister AH Scott Lyngdoh, who had the same portfolio in the Mawlong Government when the controversy over the demolition of the Meghalaya House in Kolkata surfaced. UDP sources said today the party had demanded Scott Lyngdoh?s resignation for a thorough inquiry into Scott Lyngdoh?s links with the scrapped deal to construct a multi-storey building on the site of the Meghalaya House. The sources said that they were planning to write to the Chief Minister demanding Scott Lyngdoh?s resignation, who had incidentally resigned from the Mawlong Government in November last year to demand scrapping of the controversial Meghalaya House construction deal with a private construction company. The demolition of the Meghalaya House had been halted on November one by Mawlong under pressure from ally NCP. In a related development, the Khasi Students Union (KSU) has filed an FIR at Sadar Police Station here on Tuesday against Mawlong, his former General Administration Minister (GAD) Nimerson Momin and Government officials for their alleged involvement in the signing of the MoU for the deal. A copy of the FIR filed by KSU general secretary Pyndap Saiban was sent to President KR Narayanan, Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, CBI director and DGP of Meghalaya. In the FIR, Saibon alleged that the previous Government in connivance with the Asian Housing and Construction Ltd, Kolkata, former chief secretary JP Singh, former GAD secretary Arindam Som, Mawlong and Momin had misappropriated a huge sum of money. Saibon also demanded their arrest. The KSU president, Paul Lyngdoh, said the FIR was filed as the Union intended to submit an affidavit to the Rajkhowa Commission of inquiry instituted by the State Government in the scrapped house deal.