After senior Naga People’s Front leader and former Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang’s announcement on Saturday about the Front’s decision to withdraw support to the BJP-led government in Manipur, another senior party leader said on Sunday that “they were forced to take the decision”.
NPF Manipur State unit president Awangbou Newmai added that “bigger parties were looking down upon smaller parties.”
After May 23
He said that though the decision has been taken, it will be implemented after the entire electioneering process is complete on May 23.
A senior BJP leader said on Sunday that if the NPF withdraws support, it will not have any effect on the coalition government.
The senior BJP leader said that the party has 29 MLAs and has the support of one legislator each of the Lok Janshakti Party, AITC and an Independent in the 60-member Manipur Assembly. The NPF has four MLAs.
The Congress had 29 MLAs after the 2017 Assembly polls, but eight of its legislators defected to the BJP last year, taking its tally from 21 to 29.
Mr. Newmai claimed that the NPF was “forced” to take the decision as the “BJP has not honoured some of the agreements that were agreed upon when the coalition government was formed in 2017”.
“We have been patient for some two years,” he said.
The BJP has denied the allegations made by the NPF leader. The allegations are totally baseless and unfounded, said a senior party leader.
A meeting of senior NPF leaders was held in Kohima on Saturday evening to take a decision. The meeting was held at the NPF’s central office, which was attended by party chief Shurhozelie Liezietsu, Opposition leader in Nagaland Assembly T.R. Zeliang, NPF core committee members and the party MLAs in Manipur.
