Strange as it may sound, the tiny north-eastern state of Meghalaya now has four 'chief ministers'. The Congress-led government has finalised this peculiar arrangement after the rank and status of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president Friday Lyngdoh was elevated to that of chief minister on Thursday, apparently to douse a simmering discontent within the main party in the coalition. Lyngdoh earlier enjoyed the rank and status of a deputy chief minister.
Veteran Congress leader D D Lapang had assumed office as chief minister on May 13 last year. With the elevation of Lyngdoh's status, the ruling alliance now has three leaders, apart from Lapang, who enjoy the status of chief minister.
The others are the two leaders of the United Democratic Party -- State Planning Board chairman Donkupar Roy and Meghalaya Economic Development Council chairman J D Rymbai.
Government sources said that all the three, besides Lapang, now enjoy the pay, perks and other facilities as that of a chief minister. However, except for Lapang, the others do not have any constitutional powers.
An official notification said, "The rank and status of Lyngdoh has been upgraded from that of deputy chief minister to that of chief minister. He shall continue to function as political advisor to the chief mMinister."
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party dubbed the new arrangement in Meghalaya as a 'constitutional absurdity' while Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari said constitutionally it is not impermissible to give somebody the rank of a chief minister or the rank of a minister.
With political games and splits a frequent occurrence, the state has seen 21 governments in its 38-year history.
Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari agreed there is an issue of propriety which is involved.
"We are in the process of checking up with our people in Meghalaya, since it is a coalition government, about the circumstances behind such a decision," he said.
BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, "We can just call it a constitutional absurdity. Only the governor swears in the chief minister and he has the powers to swear in the chief minister. But here we have a chief minister appointing another chief minister."
State opposition leader Conrad Sangma, while criticising the decision, said, "Clearly, it is a situation where people are being accommodated. And this is being done at the expense of public money."
In the history of Meghalaya, no political party has been able to secure a majority, except during the first assembly elections. Former chief minister Roy is the president of the UDP, while Rymbai was also a Congress chief minister, before he was removed by the All India Congress Committee after a nine-month stint due to a rebellion in the party.
Rymbai had later joined the UDP.
The elevation of Lyngdoh's status is seen as a move to stem the resentment in the Congress camp, particularly by some senior members who have been denied a ministerial berth.
The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president, reportedly heading the rebel camp that comprises at least eight disgruntled Members of Legislative Assembly, had even moved the AICC recently, seeking the resolution of their grievances.
The disgruntled MLAs were unhappy that some junior independent MLAs and first-timers like AT Mondal (IT minister) and Ismail Marak (Taxation minister) were enjoying cabinet status, Congress sources said. The 12-member council of ministers in Meghalaya is assisted by 13 parliamentary secretaries picked from 60 legislators.
