With eyes on Home, Dy CM rejects other portfolios

    07-Jul-2020
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With eyes on Home, Dy CM
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 6: Even though Deputy Chief Minis-ter Y Joykumar has been allotted several portfolios, the NPP legislator has made it clear that he would not accept the portfolios until Home Department is given to him.
Notably, it was on the 86th day after he was stripped of all portfolios that Y Joykumar was allotted several portfolios including Finance.
A notification issued by Dr J Suresh Babu yesterday allotted Finance, Science & Technology and Economics & Statistics to the Deputy Chief Minister.
The notification mentioned that Chief Minister N Biren would be in-charge of Home, Personnel, Planning, GAD, Vigilance, Transport, MI, Tourism, Minority Affairs, OBC & SC, IT, MAHUD, Horticulture & Soil Conservation and all other portfolios not allotted to any other Minister.
It said that the other NPP Ministers namely; L Jayantakumar, N Kayisii and Letpao Haokip would be in-charge of the departments they held earlier.
The four NPP Ministers withdrew their support to the BJP-led coalition Government and pledged support to Opposition Congress and this led to a political crisis in the State.
This was followed by hectic negotiation involving NPP president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and NEDA Convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma.
As Conrad Sangma and Himanta Biswa Sarma could not break the ice, they arranged meetings between the NPP Ministers, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National president JP Nadda. It was after this meeting that the NPP Ministers agreed to come back to the BJP-led coalition Government.
According to a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar, he bargained for Home Department when they negotiated with Amit Shah at Delhi for their return to the BJP-led coalition.
Even though several departments have been allotted to Joykumar, he asserted that he would not take charge of these departments until a clear picture emerges for not allotting Home Department to him.
He was reportedly trying to communicate with the Union Home Minister, according to the source.
Conrad Sangma on arrival at Imphal from Delhi after holding talks with Amit Shah and JP Nadda together with the NPP Ministers told media persons that NPP would support the BJP-led coalition Government but there would be certain changes in the portfolios held by NPP Ministers.