Pala, Agatha among seven to resign

Shillong, Oct 27: Union minister of state for water resources and minority affairs Vincent Pala and union minister of state for rural development Agatha Sangma were among the seven ministers who submitted their resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of Sunday’s major reshuffle of the union cabinet.

The other ministers who have also resigned are union minister of external affairs SM Krishna, minister of information & broadcasting Ambika Soni, minister of social justice and empowerment Mukul Wasnik, minister for tourism Subodh Kant Sahay and minister of state for tribal affairs Mahadeo Singh Khandela.

Both the Lok Sabha MPs-Agatha Sangma and Vincent Pala- from Meghalaya were inducted into the union cabinet by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. While Pala made it to the union cabinet as a minister of state because he belongs to the Congress party, NCP Tura Lok Sabha MP Agatha Sangma- who is the youngest daughter of former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma and Congress turned NCP leader- made it to union cabinet because of NCP president Sharad Pawar’s to recommend her induction into the union cabinet.

The resignation or dropping of Agatha Sangma was in the air ever since her father Purno A Sangma merged the Meghalaya unit of the NCP with the National People’s Party (NPP) of which he is the national president. Sangma left the NCP after Sharad Pawar refused to nominate him as the party presidential candidate.

The senior Sangma anyway contested the presidential election with the backing of the BJP and other likeminded parties but lost to Congress candidate Pranab Mukherjee. Later the Meghalaya unit of the NCP of which he was an architect merged with the NPP.

Agatha Sangma’s continuation in the union cabinet became doubtful ever since her father parted ways with the NCP. However the resignation of Shillong Lok Sabha MP Vincent Pala from the cabinet came as a big surprise to the people of Meghalaya.

According to informed sources the Congress high command has a bigger party role for Pala and wants him to take the responsibility of strengthening the party before the parliamentary election in 2014. –By Our Reporter