Manipur crisis: Naga People’s Front says will continue supporting BJP-led govt

IMPHAL: A day after the National People’s Party (NPP) withdrew its support to Manipur’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, the Naga People’s Front (NPF), another key coalition partner, has said that it will continue to support the government.
“We will continue to support the government since we continue to be part of the coalition,” said NPF’s Manipur unit president Awangbow Newmai, who is a cabinet minister in the BJP-led government in Manipur, when sought the party’s stand on its alliance with the government, during a press conference at his official quarter at Lamphelpat in Imphal on Monday afternoon.
Awangbow, who holds the water resource and relief and disaster management portfolio in the Manipur government, also said that his party will continue to work together with the state during these hard times.
The NPF has five legislators in the 60-member Manipur state assembly. Out of them, two are cabinet ministers, including Awangbow Newmai, who represents Tamei assembly constituency in Tamenglong district. The other minister is Khashim Vashum (Chingai), who holds transport and veterinary and animal husbandry portfolios. The other three legislators are L Dikho (Mao), Ram Muivah (Ukhrul) and Leishiyo Keishing (Phungyar).
The NPP, which is the second largest party after the BJP in Manipur assembly with seven legislators, had withdrawn its support to the government, expressing “deep concern” over the prevailing law and order situation in the state.
In a letter addressed to BJP president JP Nadda on Sunday, NPP national president and Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma said, “In the last few days, we have seen the situation further deteriorate where many more innocent lives have been lost and people in the state are going through immense suffering.”
“We strongly feel that the Manipur State Government under the leadership of Shri Biren Singh has completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy…Keeping the current situation in mind, the National People’s Party has decided to withdraw its support to the Biren Singh-led Government in the State of Manipur, with immediate effect,” the letter added.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the BJP had won an absolute majority with 32 seats of the 60-member assembly while the opposition Congress had secured just five seats.
The BJP government currently has a comfortable majority well above the halfway mark of 31. This includes five MLAs from the Janata Dal (United) who joined the BJP in late 2022. Additionally, the BJP also has the support of five MLAs from the NPF, one JD(U) legislator, and three Independent MLAs.
BJP Jiribam unit leaders resign
In another development, eight office bearers and executive members of the BJP’s Jriribam unit led by its president K Jadu Singh resigned from the party citing “the present unwelcome/helpless situation of Jiribam as well as Manopur as a whole.” They submitted a mass resignation letter to the BJP Manipur president on Monday.