Shillong, Nov 4: Minister from the BJP, Sanbor Shullai, has expressed unhappiness over the recent cabinet reshuffle and portfolio allocation after no BJP MLA was inducted in the cabinet.
Paul Lyngdoh, who joined the NPP, was accommodated in the cabinet.
Lyngdoh also got the additional portfolio of Arts and Culture held by Shullai, who was allotted the new taxation portfolio.
In a statement issued on Wednesday( Nov 4), Shullai, who is the legislature party leader, said the BJP, being the second largest party, should have been consulted.
According to Shullai, the BJP with 10 MLAs deserved additional cabinet berths as the matter was already raised by the party with the chief minister following the resignation of the lone UDP MLA, Metbah Lyngdoh, from the cabinet.
Shullai said the BJP had no objection to any NPP MLA being inducted as a minister, but the BJP should also have been accommodated.
Shullai reminded that the BJP has always stood by the NPP even during its crisis period in 2023, when all the political parties wanted to form a non-NPP coalition government.
He said the MDA government is getting all the necessary help and support from the BJP at the centre, and the central leaders, ,but the marginalisation of state BJP MLAs by NPP leaders is not a healthy indication for the MDA government.
Shullai said that the MLAs met the North East co-incharge Rajiv Babber on Wednesday, and apprised him about political developments with a focus on how the BJP was being sidelined and ignored in the cabinet berth reshuffle and portfolio allotment by the NPP.
Shullai said the matter will soon be taken up with the central leaders of the party before taking any final decision.
Shullai said he paid a courtesy visit to the chief minister and also talked to both the Deputy CMs, as instructed by the party during the cabinet reshuffle and requested a meeting with all the BJP MLAs because, as leader of the legislature party, he wanted to resolve the crisis amicably before the situation spirals out of control.
“This is in view of trying and improving ground relations between the two alliance partners before the state leaders meet the BJP central leaders. The same intent was also communicated to the CM by our party state president”, Shullai said.
