SHILLONG, Oct 7: Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Friday said he is not willing to resign as cabinet minister.
“Position for me is secondary. I will serve in any capacity but to tell me to resign on my own I will not resign…,” said Rymbui, who is also holding charge of the education department, while speaking to journalists here.
He was reacting to the demands made by several quarters including leaders of his own party United Democratic Party (UDP) after protesting contractual teachers were tear-gassed while taking out a protest march on Thursday.
Rymbui said he will not resign because whatever had happened is not his doing. “Why should I resign? I am here not to quit,” he said.
Denying that he was made a sacrificial lamb, the home minister said, “We are here working collectively as a government to solve the issues concerning the state. It is not like what you termed sacrificial lamb but possibility is there… so we work together, whatever we can we solve, whatever we cannot we are very blunt in saying what we cannot do,” he said.
With regards to the opposition AITC’s allegation that the MDA government has mistreated the protesting teachers, Rymbui said, “We have not mistreated anyone. From day one, we have made it amply clear that we have to follow the mandatory norms set up by the regulatory authority and we have given time, we have extended the age limit and now the government has given a chance to reappear their exam so the question of mistreating does not arise at all.”
