New Delhi: It was relentless pushback from its own MLAs that forced the BJP’s central leadership to install a popular government in Manipur last week and swear-in Yumnam Khemchand Singh as the Chief Minister.
Besides Singh, two deputy CMs and three cabinet ministers comprising three Kuki-zo MLAs and one Naga MLA also took oath in Imphal.
But ten days after swearing in, the CM and his five cabinet colleagues are yet to be given any portfolio.
Singh, who has in the previous two terms of former CM Biren Singh’s government been the Assembly speaker and a cabinet minister, is one of the rare CMs today to be without a portfolio.
With no department and no direction from the top, the CM and one of his Naga deputies, Losii Dikho from the Naga People’s Front—a BJP ally—are keeping themselves busy by meeting people from different communities across the state. The other deputy CM, Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki, continues to be in Delhi, afraid to return to the state fearing reprisal from the Kuki-Zo community for joining the government, party sources told ThePrint.
The three other ministers, including Govindas Konthoujam—who many expected will be given the home department—are also clueless about their role. Speculation has already begun that differences within the Manipur BJP could be behind this delay in announcing portfolios and expanding the cabinet. There are too many contenders among the 37 NDA MLAs for a meagre 12 cabinet berths currently.
With just nine-months left before the term of the current government ends, MLAs are getting impatient because of the delay in expanding the cabinet.
The BJP’s central leadership has also maintained a stoic silence, adding to the suspense and triggering questions among MLAs that the state is being subjected to step-motherly treatment.
Among their grievances is the swearing-in ceremony. In other states, BJP chief ministers take oaths in the presence of central leaders and Union Cabinet minister. That wasn’t the case in Manipur, when the only representative from Delhi was Sambit Patra, BJP’s coordinator for the North-East.
Kharge’s caution to MP about ‘Hyderabad’
That the Indian National Congress has long been wary of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is no secret. The party has consistently branded the AIMIM as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “B-team”, accusing it of splitting Muslim votes and aiding the BJP.
The AIMIM’s performance in the recent municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra—where it won 125 seats—appears to have deepened the Congress’s anxiety.
The extent of this concern became evident during a conversation between Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party MP Imran Masood outside Parliament Friday. In the exchange, captured on camera by reporters stationed there, Kharge was heard cautioning Masood to be wary of “Hyderabad”—an apparent reference to Asaduddin Owaisi, who represents the constituency in the Lok Sabha. Kharge warned that allowing AIMIM to gain a foothold in Uttar Pradesh could prove politically damaging for the Congress.
Awasthi couple’s grand celebration
Former Uttar Pradesh IAS officer and currently consultant to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Awanish Awasthi displayed his influence during the 60th birthday celebration of his wife, folk singer Malini Awasthi, in Lucknow.
A grand event, organised in the state capital, was attended by the CM, Governor Anandiben Patel, several cabinet ministers and BJP leaders such as Nand Gopal Nandi and Rajeshwar Singh. Apart from political leaders, Awasthi also invited prominent Hindu saints, including Rambhadracharya and Avadheshanand Giri, who attended the event and participated in a pooja.
The high-profile gathering drew attention, with discussions about the event reported from corridors of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly during the ongoing Budget session. The Awasthi couple is well known for hosting influential people from across the fields.
Pushing & pulling on the Congress stage
With Kerala gearing up for a high-stakes Assembly election, an on-stage scuffle sent Congress leaders in the state scrambling for an explanation while the LDF wasted no time in terming the incident as an example of the party’s internal issues.
Chaos erupted Wednesday at the public meeting of Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan-led Puthuyuga Yatra (new age march) at Kozhikode district’s Kuttiadi. The stage, already crowded with district and state Congress leaders, witnessed a scuffle after Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC) secretary Pramod Kakkatil invited Satheesan to speak.
Visuals from the event showed Vadakara MP Shafi Paramabil engrossed in a heated exchange with Kakkatil as Satheesan spoke. Later, as Kakkatil advanced towards the mic, Paramabil was seen pulling him back. In the chaos, former KPCC chief Mullappally Ramachandran fell down.
When his name was announced, the Vadakara MP concluded his speech in one sentence.
Soon after the video surfaced, it was reported that the MP was annoyed at not being given the opportunity to speak before Satheesan.
The incident gave LDF leaders and social media users ample ways to indulge in memes and caricatures mocking the Congress.
Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty posted a pun, saying “united front” on his Facebook account, referring to the Congress-led UDF alliance in the state.
Kozhikode District Congress Committee president K. Praveen Kumar later said that Paramabil had intervened as the announcement was made after the MP had informed the party not to invite him to speak on stage. On Thursday, Satheesan said the incident was akin to “household matter” exaggerated by the media.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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