Imphal, September 26 2020: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has questioned the rationale behind allotting ministerial berths to O Lukhoi and O Henry. Both were Ex-MLAs elected on Congress ticket. They had voluntarily resigned from the membership of Manipur Legislative Assembly.
MPCC vice-president and former Minister Dr Kh Ratankumar asked the personal expertise and excellence of the two ex-MLAs. He asked if the Biren-led Government was indicating that there are no competent MLAs within BJP and their allies .
He said, there is a convention of giving preference to individuals who excel in one field or another while selecting Cabinet Ministers. A court case is pending against Okram Henry in alleged drug smuggling case.
While Chief Minister N Biren has been promising a clean, corruption-free Government, O Lukhoi, soon after he was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister, declared that he would appoint people of his Assembly segment in different Government departments as much as possible, Ratankumar pointed out.
He asked whether the new Cabinet Minister’s declaration which went viral on social media complements or contradicts the Chief Minister’s promise of corruption-free Government.
Also read BREAKING: 5 MLAs to be inducted into BJP led Government in Manipur amid dissents
As a convention, Ministers are selected in district-wise or region-wise manner but the recent Cabinet reshuffle did not reflect the principle of proportionate representation, he remarked.
There are four Ministers from Imphal East, three from Imphal West, one from Chandel and one from Churachandpur. There is not a single Minister from Bishnupur, Thoubal and Ukhrul.
Even though BJP has shouting at the top of its voice about empowerment of women, its lone woman Minister has also been removed from the Council of Ministers, said Dr Ratankumar adding that the incumbent Government is anti-women and anti-minority.
Citing LJP MLA Karam Shyam’s disclosure that he was removed from the Council of Ministers without sharing any information, the MPCC vice-president remarked that Karam Shyam’s disclosure exposed deep-rooted trust deficit within the BJP-led coalition.
If one goes through what are written and commented on social media, it is a matter of utter shame for all legislators and politicians, he added.
Disclaimer: This is a syndicated post and published without any changes except for the headlines
