However, it is evident that the opposition parties did not want to embarrass themselves with the resolution as the members of ruling Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government have made a decision to support Mondal in case the resolution is put to vote.
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Mondal said he has never seen that a no confidence motion was withdrawn.
In the House of 60, fourteen members from the Opposition rose supporting the No Confidence Motion.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said that the opposition withdrew the resolution against the Speaker after members of the House had an “effective debate” (on the no-confidence motion) on Thursday. “The people own and run these projects”, the chief minister said, referring to Mission Aqua Culture and the state’s two flagship programmes – the integrated basin development and the livelihood programme – which have opened up new avenues of employment, especially in the state’s rural areas.
Earlier during the debate, the Opposition lambasted the government on issues like crimes against women and children which is rising in the state.
The opposition MPF comprises eight United Democratic Party legislators and two from the Nationalist People’s Party.
Moreover, chief minister Mukul Sangma also brushed aside the opposition accusation against the failure of his government, besides the poor fiscal health of the state. “How we do it and how we handle everybody is an internal exercise”.
This is the third time that a Congress-led government has come to the brink of being removed.
Admitting that there have been differences within the Congress party, veteran Congress legislator Salseng C. Marak, however, said: “The leadership issue can not be discussed in the House as it is an internal matter of the Congress party”. He fixed September 16 for a discussion on the Opposition’s resolution for his removal.
However, Mondal informed the legislators that he had received a letter from National People’s Party (NPP) legislator James Sangma informing him that he had withdrawn the resolution.
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Interestingly, Independent legislators Rophul Marak and North East Democratic Socialist Party Lamboklang Mylliem from the treasury bench and two opposition independent legislators Saleng Sangma and John Leslee K. Sangma were conspicuous by their absence.
