Shillong, Sep 22: Trinamool Congress MLA Mukul Sangma has said he will examine under which provision of law a legal notice was issued to him by Henry Lalremsanga, the Chairman of 2B’s Group of Companies.
Mukul told reporters that he is yet to officially receive the legal notice.
“So I will wait. I will see what type of legal notice is given and what are the provisions of law under which he is sending me this notice. There are also certain aspects which their legal team will be knowing, so we will deal with them as they come,” he said.
When asked whether the legal notice will go against the privileges of a member, Mukul said, “That is why I am saying which provisions of law provide him that opportunity to send me that legal notice will be examined.”
According to the notice issued by K Kharmawphlang, the legal counsel of Henry, Mukul should tender an unconditional apology within 7 days for incorrectly labelling Lalremsanga as a ‘drug kingpin’
The legal notice demanded for an immediate halt to making or publishing any more false and defamatory remarks against Lalremsanga and a payment of Rs 20 crore within 7 days of the receipt of this notice as compensation for injury to Lalremsanga’s reputation.
Asserting that his statement in the Assembly was an advisory to the chief minister, Mukul however slammed the chief minister for taking the matter outside the House and suggested that a legal notice should be instead directed towards the chief minister.
“Inside the August House my statement was very clear. It has been more of an advisory to the chief minister, it is only the chief minister who has taken it outside the House. He(Henry) should send a legal notice to the chief minister,” he said.
“As far as this case is concerned after having raised this issue what was spoken by me on that issue inside the House is available but outside the House, you know, when the chief minister himself started speaking outside the House, he should send this legal notice to the CM only.”
He did not want to elaborate further on the matter, but said, “You are aware of the relevant provisions of the constitutions pertaining to the privileges that are provided by the members of both state legislatures and the parliament.”
“What did I refer to, I referred to the media article. You are talking about somebody’s whatever has happened. I also have narrated the year and date also. So what does it indicate? I have narrated the date so it is up to others to read between the lines,” he said.
Mukul reminded that his submission in the Assembly was keeping in mind the situation prevailing in the State and across the Northeast region, which is considered alarming, as far as the drug menace is concerned.
“The concern that is being reflected is because of what has happened in the last five years, the exponential growth of supply chain creating that easy access to the end users that is a matter of concern, that is the responsibility of the government to see how we can go after the supply chain.How to go against the supply chain, there are relevant laws to deal with this but then are the relevant laws enough, are the relevant laws being effectively implemented, those are questions to be raised and that is what exactly is done in the House whether it is in Parliament or whether in the state assemblies by the respective legislatures and the parliament,” he added.
