BJP may pull out of Mawlong Govt.

SHILLONG, NOV. 10. Miffed over the unceremonious removal of Mr. T.H. Rangad (BJP) from the Home Ministry in the E.K. Mawlong coalition Government in Meghalaya, the BJP today said it would decide shortly whether it would pull out both its Ministers.

The BJP State general secretary, Mr. B.B. Chetri, told reporters that the Chief Minister's decision to remove Mr. Rangad at this juncture demanded that party leaders sit together to decide their future course of action. In a letter to the BJP State unit president, Dr. W. Kharshing and the national council member, Mr. H.A. Roy Kharpuli, he said he had pointed out that the State executive council - being the supreme body of the party's State unit - ``should have enough power to decide on serious matters such as the present one''.

The BJP has three legislators, including the two Ministers in the Cabinet.

The other constituents in the ruling Meghalaya Parliamentary Forum (MPF) are the United Democratic Party, Nationalist Party, People's Democratic Movement.

Mr. Chetri said he did not know the motive behind the Chief Minister's move and added that the BJP parliamentary board had urged Mr. Mawlong to relieve Mr. Rangad of the Home Department three months ago. ``We wonder why the Chief Minister did not take note of the proposal then,'' he said.

Mr. Rangad, who continues to hold the Education and IT portfolios, said it was the Chief Minister's prerogative to make a change in his Council of Ministers and it was up to the people to judge the latest development.

The BJP, he said, was not interested in destablising the Government, but a final decision on the resignation of the Ministers would be taken shortly.

Some other BJP members indicated that the party could severe ties with the MPF in a day or two.

Mr. Mawlong had taken over Home from Mr. Rangad and the General Administration portfolio from Mr. Nimarson Momin, in keeping with the demands of its key ally, Nationalist Congress Party, over the scrapped `Meghalaya House' deal, yesterday.

- PTI

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