New Delhi: The political crisis for the BJP-led N. Biren Singh government in Manipur seems to be over for now, with the National People’s Party agreeing to stay on as an ally.
An NPP delegation led by party chief Conrad Sangma, the Chief Minister of neighbouring Meghalaya, and Manipur Deputy CM Y. Joykumar Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah as well as BJP president J.P. Nadda. Joykumar Singh had been stripped of his portfolios in April this year.
Assam cabinet minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also convener of the BJP-led North-East Democratic Alliance, tweeted about the meeting.
“A NPP delegation led by @SangmaConrad and Dy Chief Minister of Manipur Sri Y Joy Kumar Singh met Honble Home minister Sri @AmitShah ji today in New Delhi. Both @BJP4India and NPP will continue to work together for the development of Manipur”.
A NPP delegation led by @SangmaConrad and Dy Chief Minister of Manipur Sri Y Joy Kumar Singh met Honble Home minister Sri @AmitShah ji today in New Delhi. Both @BJP4India and NPP will continue to work together for the development of Manipur
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 24, 2020
Sarma then posted another tweet with slightly modified text, stating: “A NPP delegation led by @SangmaConrad and Dy Chief Minister of Manipur Sri Y Joy Kumar Singh met Honble President of @BJP4India Sri @JPNadda ji today in New Delhi. NPP will continue to support BJP govt in Manipur for the development of Manipur.”
A NPP delegation led by @SangmaConrad and Dy Chief Minister of Manipur Sri Y Joy Kumar Singh met Honble President of @BJP4India Sri @JPNadda ji today in New Delhi. NPP will continue to support BJP govt in Manipur for the development of Manipur
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 24, 2020
With the NPP staying on in the alliance, the BJP seems to have a comfortable majority in the Manipur assembly with 18 MLAs of its own, plus four from the NPP, four from the Naga People’s Front and one belonging to the Lok Janshakti Party in what is now a 52-member House, after the disqualification of four MLAs from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, and the resignation of three BJP MLAs.
The Supreme Court had earlier disqualified one Congress MLA who had become a minister in the government.
Also read: Year-long power tussle between CM & his deputy — how the Manipur crisis came to be
How the crisis was averted
The BJP Tuesday took four NPP ministers who resigned from the Manipur government to Delhi for a meeting with senior leaders to avert the political crisis. Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav, meanwhile, went to Imphal to meet other BJP MLAs.
“We were told that they would meet the honourable home minister. It is a good development and we have been waiting for it. We welcome it from the core of our hearts and we just hope that there is no precondition,” Manipur BJP president Tikendra Singh told ThePrint.
According to sources, the crisis could be attributed to resentment against CM Biren Singh’s perceived “one-man style of functioning”, which the NPP leaders were miffed with. Local leaders had also approached PM Narendra Modi and former BJP chief Amit Shah for his removal, ThePrint had reported earlier.
Hectic parleys were on to save the government, with many meetings taking place between NPP chief Sangma and BJP’s point-man for the Northeast, Sarma.
Sources said Sarma, who was instrumental in the formation of the Manipur government after the 2017 assembly elections, spearheaded the attempt to bring everyone on the same page this time too.
Also read: Cross-voting, turncoat MLAs allowed to vote: How BJP won lone Rajya Sabha seat in Manipur
So the Central Bank of Delhi bailed out the bankrupt Bank of Manipur. Democracy is dead. Long live bankoracy!!