Have they or haven't yet?
With State leaders issuing contradictory statements, confusion prevails over two Independent MLAs joining BJP
From A Correspondent
Shillong, Aug 28: Utter confusion prevailed on Monday over reports that two independent legislators from Jaintia Hill having joined the BJP.
While the party leaders in the State capital claimed that Justine Dkhar and Robinus Syngkon have joined the BJP at New Delhi, the MLAs themselves have refuted the claim.
The two MLAs, along with another Jaintia Hills independent legislator Stephenson Mukhim, met BJP president Amit Shah during the day.
In a statement issued here, State BJP vice-president and media cell in-charge JA Lyngdoh said, with the two leaders joining it, the party has definitely got a boost and will improve its performance in the 2018 Assembly elections not only in the Jaintia Hills but in the State as a whole.
However, party’s state unit president Shibun Lyngdoh, who accompanied the MLAs to New Delhi, contradicted his own colleagues by stating that Dkhar and Syngkon had only assured that they would join the BJP.
“During the meeting with our party’s tiol president (Amit Shah), the MLAs have promised that they would join our party, and a date will be fixed for their official joining in Shillong soon,” Lyngdoh said.
Similarly, when contacted, Dkhar told The Sentinel from New Delhi that during the meeting the BJP leaders had asked them to join the party.
According to Dkhar, the three independent MLAs met the BJP leaders and handed over a memorandum in connection with the ban on coal mining in the State and the need to take steps to get the ban lifted as well as by applying Para 12 (a)(b) of the Sixth Schedule through a Presidential notification to exempt coal mining in the State from the Central law.
A resolution passed by the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on this particular issue was also attached along with the memorandum.
“We told them that we are ready to join, provided the problem is solved,” Dkhar claimed.
The MLA maintained that he, along with Syngkon and Mukhim, are still supporting the Congress-led government.
Dkhar said, “If we have to join the BJP, we would first resign from the government.”
The three Independent legislators from the Jaintia Hills are Parliamentary Secretaries in the Congress-led MUA-II government.
Even though Amlarem MLA Stephenson Mukhim accompanied Syngkon and Dkhar, the BJP did not comment on whether he too will be joining the party.
However, the statement issued by the State BJP vice president on Monday evening claimed that Syngkon and Dkhar joined his party in New Delhi in the presence of BJP tiol president Amit Shah and other leaders, including Assam Fince Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, party’s leader in-charge of Meghalaya lin Kohli and State BJP president Shibun Lyngdoh.
Two businessmen from Jaiñtia Hills – Thomas Nongtdu and Rollingson Dkhar – were also present.
Lyngdoh said, “The general public have already make up their mind that BJP is the only option in the coming election and this will happen because of the main slogan of the Prime Minister rendra Modi ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.”
He said the people of Meghalaya will witness all-round development and a corruption-free government only if the BJP is voted to power.