Meghalaya: Speaker allows merger of 12 Congress MLAs with TMC

Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh has given approval to the merger of 12 Indian National Congress MLAs with the All India Trinamool Congress, as provided under Paragraph IV of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution. The Speaker’s decision vindicates the stand of former Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and former Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope who had maintained, all along, that their merger with the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress along with ten other Congress MLAs was legal and within the ambit of the Constitution. The Speaker’s ruling also elevates the All India Trinamool Congress - Meghalaya to the rank of principal opposition in the State.

Speaker Lyngdoh’s ruling came after examining in detail the petitions filed by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ampareen Lyngdoh for disqualification of the 12 MLAs and the comments received from all of them. The 12 legislators — former chief minister Mukul Sangma,Marthon Sangma, Jimmy Sangma, Lazarus Sangma, Miani Shira, H M Shangpliang, George Lyngdoh, Winnerson Sangma, Dikkanchi Shira, Zenith Sangma, Charles Pyngrope and Shitlang Pale — had handed over the letter of merger to the speaker on November 24  this year.