Shillong, April 2 : Meghalaya Speaker Bindo Lanong today served fresh notices to two more legislators, giving them time till April 6 to show cause for deserting the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance, even as UDP legislator Ampareen Lyngdoh resigned from the Assembly.
The notices were served to Paul Lyngdoh of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement and Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai of the Nationalist Congress Party.
On Saturday, the Speaker had served similar notices to two Independents, Limison Sangma and Ismail Marak.
Hill State Peoples’ Democratic Party legislator Adviser Pariong, however, escaped the final disqualification as his party has forgiven him for deserting the alliance. He returned to the MPA fold.
Lanong told reporters that he was even ready to invite the four legislators who had been served fresh showcause notices to hear them in person. “They can represent their cases through a legal counsel,” he added.
Giving reasons for serving fresh notices to Lyngdoh and Shullai, Lanong said the former had assured him that he would reply to the March 16 showcause notice on March 21, but had not done so.
Shullai, Lanong said, had sent a letter to the Secretariat on March 13, saying he would not be able to attend the Assembly session starting from March 16 as he was undergoing treatment in Guwahati.
“However, he appeared in the Assembly on March 17 during the trial of strength,” Lanong said, adding that Shullai had not given any satisfactory reply to the showcause notice served to him.
The Speaker flayed Congress Legislature Party leader D.D. Lapang for saying that he was biased. “Lapang’s accusation is absurd and baseless.”
Lambasting Lapang for running to Union home minister P. Chidambaram with complaints against him, Lanong said, “This action of Lapang is amazing and amusing.”
Earlier, Lanong told this correspondent that he was happy with the Supreme Court’s decision upholding his disqualification procedures against the legislators who had deserted the MPA. “Now with the Supreme Court’s direction, I have to proceed with disqualifying the four legislators,” he added.
He also expressed concern over Governor R.S. Mooshahary’s appointment of a new advocate-general and removal of G.S. Massar from the post. Lanong had ignored the governor’s directives on how to conduct the trust vote on Massar’s legal advice.
The Speaker has adopted a wait-and-watch approach regarding the comments of new Advocate-General K.S. Kynjing. “I will see what they have to say regarding my order.”
He also wondered whether the code of conduct prevented the appointments of advocate-general and additional advocate-general by the governor.