Congress set to take the reigns of KHADC

FROM OUR STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, March 9: The Congress party is set to take over the reign of the Khasi Hills autonomous District Council (KHADC) after the present Chief Executive Member (CEM) Adilberth Nongrum led All Regiol Party Allaince (ARPA) lost  the majority in the thirty member house.

With strength of 13 in the house, Nongrum is making a brave front-refusing to put down his powers till late this evening. But the confident newly constituted People’s Democratic Front (PDF) has already taken a decision to nomite the Pynshngain N.Syiem as an elected leader and future CEM of the KHADC.

The PDF is an alliance of twelve congress MDCs, comprising of the defected legislators of the HSPDP, UDP and a lone nomited member. Knowing fully well that the ARPA led coalition Executive Committee (EC) will crumble under its own weight of dissension; the newly appointed leader of the PDF Pynshngain N Syiem told newsmen on Monday, “We will not take any immediate claim to form the executive committee. Let the ARPA leadership decided on how they will go with a minority EC”.

“Let them realize the reality but we will not take too long to prove ourselves”, stated Syiem, a former CEM and two time congress legislator while reacting to the political moves undertaken by the ARPA to stay in power.

Syiem made this statement alongside Process T Sawkmie, a man who was recently appointed as the PDF leader. Sawkmie defected from the KHM and joined the PDF before the Congress orchestrated the move to overthrow the 9 months ARPA executive committee.

In the presence of the nomited new leader of the PDF, Sawkmie said, “ My inner voice asked me to pave way for Pynshngain N Syiem as the future CEM of the KHADC”.

“ My decision is to allow the best of democratic practices to prevail where the man from the majority party should be the leader of the house”, he stated while adding that he is now an independent MDC who had been instrumental in bringing about the process in bringing about a change of guard in the KHADC.  

Pynshngain N Syiem acknowledged his political sense. “We were told by the PDF members to sort out amongst ourselves and this is the resolved that we have arrive at”, stated the CEM in waiting. Sawkmie, the MDC from Mawlai is set to be the Deputy CEM, indicated the PDF parliamentary party leader.

Moreover, the buoyant PDF has decided not to make any immediate move to replace the present Chairperson, Teilinia Thankhiew. Asked on whether they are trying to rope her into their fold, Pynshngain Syiem said, “We are not saying anything except that the PDF will take over with a policy to rejuvete the KHADC.”

He even listed the priorities in hand that varies from taking on the zero funding from the 14th fince commission, the NGT ban on coal mining to seeking an amendment in the sixth schedule of the Indian constitution to empower the traditiol heads and others.