Can't demote former CMs: Meghalaya FM

Finance Minister of Meghalaya justifies elevation of three MLAs to the "rank and status of chief minister"

PTI | February 4, 2010



Amid a row over the elevation of three MLAs of the ruling Congress-led alliance to the rank of chief minister, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Mukul Sangma 0oday asserted that a legislator who was a chief minister in the past cannot be "demoted".

"It is not proper for any political arrangement where an MLA who was a former chief minister is demoted. This has been a tradition in Meghalaya," Sangma, also in charge of finance department, told reporters.

He said one must understand the "political management" that is required to be resorted to in a coalition government.

"We have MLAs, who happen to be former chief ministers.

So long as they are MLAs, it is befitting for us to recognize and acknowledge their services and give them the status of chief minister," Sangma said.

After the elevation of the rank and status of Meghalaya Congress president Friday Lyngdoh to the rank and status of chief minister, there are four political leaders in the ruling Congress-led alliance to enjoy that status.

Two leaders of United Democratic Party (UDP), which is the main partner in the alliance, also enjoys the same status --State Planning Board Chairman Donkupar Roy and Meghalaya Economic Development Council chairman JD Rymbai.

Former chief minister Roy is the president of the UDP, while Rymbai was also a Congress chief minister before he was removed by the Congress high command after a nine month stint after a rebellion in the party.

Sangma, however, maintained that there was only one constitutional chief minister. "The status have been given to the two former chief ministers as well as Friday who happens to be a senior leader. It makes them effective in discharging their duties," he said.

On the financial implication, he said the perks and facilities of a chief minister and other cabinet ministers is same.

"Only in the salary component, there is a difference of Rs 500. A cabinet minister gets Rs 19,500, while a chief minister Rs 20,000," the finance minister said.

 

Comments

 

Other News

How social media is reshaping elections

Since Brazil’s return to direct presidential elections in 1985, no candidate who finished second in the first round of polling had ever won the presidency. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, now 81, has just done it. What explains the comeback, and what changed in Brazilian politics to make it possi

Cabinet approves Dearness Allowance, Dearness Relief

The union cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from 01.07.2026 representing an increase of 3% over the existing rates of 6

Cyclone Arnab strikes Andhra as warming oceans amplify storm risks

Cyclone Arnab made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts in the early hours of Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125–135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph. Its rapid intensification has raised concerns about how warmer oceans, global warmin

Counting matters but which ones?

The first instinct of public policy is to count. Its harder task is to count what counts. We have become remarkably good at measuring the reach of the welfare state vis-à-vis beneficiaries covered, rupees transferred, houses built, connections installed and services delivered. But some of the most

Inching closer to a trade deal with America

The cooperation between India and the United States goes back quite a time. We need to relegate that era to the backburner when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited US in the times of president Dwight Eisenhower and called the American let-off of 10 million dollars in defence aid to Pakistan as a “gun w

Manch vs Musk: Forty people and a foreign billionaire

About forty people walked the roundabout on Teen Murti Marg to the gate of Chanakyapuri police station, a distance you could cover in under a minute, on Friday to protest against Elon Musk’s Starlink. The walk was called by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. Nobody joined them on the way, and nobody seeme

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter