THE DONKUPAR ROY-LED Meghalaya Progressive Alliance government has survived a trust vote with Speaker Bindo M Lanong voting in its favour in the Meghalaya Assembly, ending the week-long political crisis in the state.
Four of the five legislators, who were suspended by the Speaker and barred from attending the House were present and cast their votes. The Speaker announced that their votes were invalid, as they had been suspended.
Immediately after Lanong announced the result of the confidence vote, the opposition Congress members created a din shouting that he was 'biased' and had 'violated' the Constitution. The Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) government narrowly won the trust vote in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly. The MPA got 28 votes, including the Speaker's vote, while 27 legislators supported the Congress.
Five legislators were not allowed to vote after the Speaker placed them under interim suspension for withdrawing support to the MPA. Three legislators have decided to move court against the Speaker’s ruling.
Despite the MPA victory, political uncertainty continues. The trial of strength has sparked a new political controversy as to why the Speaker had suspended the rights of the five legislators who had withdrawn their support from the ruling NCP-UDP-led government.
The five, former ministers, Advisor Pariong and Paul Lyngdoh, deputy speaker Sanbor Shullai, and two independent MLAs, Ismail Marak and Limison Sangma were barred from entering the House until further orders by the Speaker. But four of the legislators, barring Pariong, defied the Speaker’s ruling and entered the House as the Assembly met to decide the floor test.
There was pandemonium soon after the four legislators, particularly Paul Lyngdoh, challenged the Speaker’s ruling to suspend them. “The move to suspend is simply unconstitutional and we should be allowed to vote,” Lyngdoh said.
The House was adjourned for some time, after which the Speaker ordered the vote to be taken up. “We proved majority in the House,” said Chief Minister Donkupar Roy. But the Congress is agitated over the Speaker’s decision and the party led by former Chief Minister and opposition leader DD Lapang trooped to the Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Ranjit Shekar Mooshahary and has pressed for imposition of President’s rule.
“The role of the Speaker was nothing but unconstitutional and so we sought dismissal of the government and asked him to impose President’s rule for the time being,” Lapang said. The suspended legislators are also moving court and said they would approach the Supreme Court, if required.
Despite the victory of MPA, political uncertainty would continue to haunt Meghalaya, known for its hop-skip-and-jump politics with legislators switching loyalties at the drop of a hat.
After the March, 2008 Assembly elections, Lapang was sworn-in as chief minister of a Congress-led coalition government. But he resigned 10 days later ahead of a scheduled trust vote, having failed to muster majority support.
Political instability is the hallmark in Meghalaya -- the state has seen six different governments with varied combinations of political parties, resulting in four chief ministers in a span of five years between 1998 and 2003. There have been just two occasions since Meghalaya attained statehood in 1972 when a chief minister has been able to complete a full five-year term.