A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: In a surprise Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, Meghalaya Health and Family Welfare Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek was dropped and replaced by his party colleague and South Shillong legislator, Sanbor Shullai.
Shullai's oath was administered by the office by Meghalaya Governor, Satya Pal Malik, at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday evening.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma his deputy Prestone Tynsong, Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Power Minister James K. Sangma and other Cabinet colleagues.
Later speaking to reporters, Sangma, informed that in 2018 when the Cabinet was formed, the BJP had an agreement that both Hek and Shullai will share for a period of two and half years.
"There was an understanding and a discussion between Hek and Shullai that they will be sharing their Minister's berth," the Chief Minister said.
He said that this was in front of the senior leaders of the BJP like Alphons Kannanthanam then in charge of Meghalaya, Nalin Kohli and then State unit president Shibun Lyngdoh.
Sangma clarified that when the two and half years was completed last year, the president of the party in Meghalaya at that point was Ernest Mawrie, who was not privy to the earlier agreement.
"Since Ernest Mawrie was not privy to the meeting in 2018 so there was a slight communication gap. I did not want to come into the matters of the party so therefore I had left the decision to the party to decide on how they should move forward and did not go ahead then," the Chief Minister said.
Sangma pointed out that Shullai has been stressing the fact many times to him and his party (BJP), that he should be inducted as per the understanding of 2018.
"Accordingly I received a letter from the president of the State unit BJP referring to the discussion of 2018 and proposing that Shullai be inducted into the Cabinet and based on that we have gone ahead with the swearing-in," the Chief Minister said.
When asked if similar reshuffling will take place in the other coalition partners like the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the People's Democratic Front (PDF) no such arrangements took place in front of him and he won't be able to comment.
"The parties will have to take the decision," Sangma said.
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