ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Meghalaya crisis deepens as PWD minister also quits

The crisis in the United Democratic Party-led United Parliamentary Forum coalition government in Meghalaya deepened following the resignation of PWD minister Turbarlin Lyngdoh Monglait late last night.

Monglait was the third minister to resign from the B B Lyngdoh ministry within a week.

He submitted his resignation to the chief minister, but it was not immediately known if it had been forwarded to the governor. Monglait belongs to the Hill State Peoples Democratic Party, a constituent of the ruling coalition.

Community and Rural Development Minister M War of the HSPDP was the first minister to resign followed by Peoples Democratic Movement MLA Martin Danggo, who resigned after joining the ministry as minister of state on Thursday.

The strength of the UPF coalition government has now gone down to 30 in the 60-member House.

Meanwhile, D D Lapang, leader of the Opposition, said the Lyngdoh ministry should resign as it was reduced to a minority. He claimed that more ministers would resign soon.

Lapang said if the ministry did not resign it would be difficult to pass the financial bills and other related matters in the ongoing budget session of the state assembly.

Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee claimed there was a ''total lack of direction and cohesion in the present government, mostly due to the ongoing conflicts and contradictions amongst the coalition partners''.

The MPCC said the Congress was concerned that the present government with all its diverse groups and interests would not be able to deliver the goods.

In another development, former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma was expected to visit Shillong to review the political situation in his home state.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report