Shillong, Jan 05: Under pressure from a section of ruling coalition MLAs to quit the post, Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang today claimed the support of 17 Congress legislators and said that the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was the "right forum" to prove his majority.
"I have the support of 17 Congress legislators out of 27 members and there is no question of a leadership crisis as the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) has pledged that this government would last its full five year term," Lapang told reporters here.
Asked about convening a CLP meet to prove his majority,
Lapang, who held an emergency cabinet meeting here last night,
said it would take 10-12 days to call the same as most of his
colleagues were out of station during the winter break.
Lapang blamed lack of proper guidelines within coalition
partners for the crisis and said that the MDA was mulling to work out a formula to enable the members in a more "disciplined way"
without rushing to the media with their grievances.
AICC secretary in-charge of Meghalaya, Mabel Rebello, who
was rushed here by the party high command to sort out the
differences, continued her talks with dissident MLAs. She
admitted that "discontent" existed among MLAs but said it was
"not serious" and also ruled out Lapang's resignation.
Rebello's visit here came in the backdrop of the Lapang
government receiving two jolts in the house by losing a
resolution on the shifting of assembly issue on December 20
and the speaker deferring a money bill to the next session
after a stiff resistance from a section of ruling coalition
and Opposition members on the next day. A section of MLAs then
demanded Lapang's resignation and projected MPCC president S C
Marak as their leader.
Bureau Report
