Singhvi explained that the party had merely extended the existing practice of givingheads of corporations and commissions the status and rank of cabinet ministers. “There is only one chief executive of the state and he alone exercises the power and authority of the chief minister. The others only enjoy the perks and status,” he said.
According to party functionaries, the arrangement in Meghalaya was undertaken to ensure the loyalty and support of MLAs in a state notorious for bringing down governments and changing chief ministers at the drop of a hat.
“Governments there are known to have been brought down through defection. This is one way of ensuring the stability of the government, so we have adjusted them.”
Toppling games and splits have seen 21 governments in 38 years in Meghalaya.
The Congress was at pains to clarify that the arrangement was a “Meghalaya innovation” and unlikely to be repeated elsewhere. In fact, some of its leaders do not discount the possibility of somebody filing a PIL in the courts to seek redressal.
For close to a year, DD Lapang had two more legislators sharing his rank and status. After a January 28 notification, the state got a fourth ‘CM’. Friday Lyngdoh, the chief of the Congress’s state unit, joined two other ‘CMs’ — state planning board chairman Donkupar Roy and Meghalaya economic development council chief JD Rymbai — both from the United Democratic Party.
