News

Shillong, June 8: The Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government will meet on June 12 to discuss the downsizing of the ministry. According to the law enacted by Parliament, Meghalaya must prune its ministry from the existing 41 to 12 ministers. Meghalaya chief minister D.D. Lapang said late last evening that his government, a coalition of five parties, including the Congress, would “sit across the table to openly deliberate on the issue”. Lapang is also the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader.

According to the amended anti-defection bill, which was signed by President A.P...

GUWAHATI, June 8 – Despite Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s tall claims of peace having returned to the State, kidnappings in Assam seem to be witnessing a rising trend since he took over on May 2001. The latest kidnapping of a senior Minister’s son in the State has come as a big blow to the Chief Minister’s claims. There are also indications that extortion by militants is rampant across the State. Security sources revealed here today that since the Congress came to power in 2001, the incidences of kidnappings have increased steadily over the years. Thus, 82 people were abducted in 2001. In 2002...

GUWAHATI, June 8 – At a time when the Assam Government is demanding declaration of floods and erosion in the State as a national problem, more than 30 flood and erosion protection schemes are pending at various stages of completion because of the failure of the Centre to release funds. State Water Resources Department sources told The Assam Tribune that 37 major schemes are at various stages of implementation, as the Central Government has not released funds for completion of the same. Sources said that the major schemes that could not be completed due to paucity of funds include the Palasbari...

NEW DELHI, June 8 – The deadline for downsizing of ministries may be less than a month away but the North East is about to have its first victim, with tremors shaking the Gegong Apang Government in Arunachal Pradesh.

Honeymoon between the BJP and Chief Ministerrevealed Gegong Apang seems to be shortlived and appears to be have been even shorter then the rival Congress Party calculated. Speculation is rife that Apang himself along with his ministerial colleagues may walk over to the Congress Party before the deadline of July 7.

Serious political crisis has hit Arunachal Pradesh, with Apang...

Kohima/Dimapur, June 8: The Nagaland Congress has revealed that a delegation of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government, led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio, met senior AICC leaders in New Delhi last week and expressed their wish to return to the Congress fold. The state unit of the Congress said it would have nothing to do with the DAN under Rio’s leadership. “They have started showing their real colours,” said PCC general secretary Yesonu Veyie in a release.

Describing Rio and his colleagues as “political chameleons”, Veyie accused them of not having “an iota of conviction...