IMPHAL:
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) led coalition Ministry in Manipur is not out of woods even after a Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday evening, reports said.
Chief Minister N. Biren had approved the removal of six Ministers, which Governor Najma Heptulla accepted. Two of them were Congress MLAs who had resigned from the membership of the State Assembly. Mr. Biren tried to steady the rocking boat by inducting five cabinet Ministers. One Ministerial berth is vacant now.
On Thursday, Speaker Yumnam Khemchand declined the Ministerial berth offered to him, a carrot that continues to be dangled. Reports said that he preferred to remain as Speaker. The remaining 12 BJP MLAs had joined hands with the four National People’s Party (NPP) Ministers, two of whom had been sacked on Thursday, to launch a campaign to oust Mr. Biren. However, so far, the Governor has not given them an appointment. Official sources said that the Governor is declining to meet the dissidents since the ongoing political demands would be referred to the BJP’s national leaders.
The pro-changers have been huddled in a safe house since Thursday. When pointed out that the BJP does not encourage the pro-changers, one MLA claimed there is a unanimous demand to replace CM N. Biren.
The party-wise strength of members in the State Assembly is — BJP with 18 members; four each of the NPP and the Naga People’s Front; one each from the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress; and two unaffiliated/independent. The Congress Party has 17 members. The total strength of the Assembly is 60. The remaining members have been disqualified, and others have resigned from the membership of the Assembly.
Mr. Biren does not seem unduly worried over the demand to remove him. He said, “The reshuffle is merely a routine exercise. Besides, it was done as per the directive of the BJP’s national leaders.”
Two days ago, the four NPP Ministers held an emergency meeting to reaffirm the NPP’s stand that if anyone of them is dropped, the party would back out from the coalition Ministry. Sources said that they had sent a copy of the resolution to Conard K. Sangma, the national NPP president. Later, after an understanding was reached, the NPP MLAs returned and their portfolios were restored.
NPP national president and Meghalaya Chief Minister K. Sangma has not officially reacted to the dropping of the two NPP Ministers.
Eyes on the Congress
All sections of people and political parties in Manipur are waiting with a bated breath to see if the Opposition Congress will play a pivotal role in the light of the growing demands of the BJP’s “dissidents” and other political parties after the reshuffle. As the BJP and the Opposition Congress have 18 MLAs and 17 MLAs, respectively, in the 60-member House, they can make and unmake a Ministry by joining hands with “like-minded” parties.
However, a smooth changeover is easier said than done. There are political tangles and exigencies that make it impossible to solve the growing political problems. Talking to The Hindu on Friday, a senior Congress leader said, “There is no hurry among the rank and file of the Congress to join hands with any party, more so with the National People’s Party.”
The political development is more serious now since one new Minister is the nephew of the former CM and Congress Legislative Party leader Okram Ibobi. He recalled how the NPP took the Congress for a ride some months ago. As a follow-up to the stepmotherly treatment, and the whittling away of important portfolios, the four NPP members had come up with a proposal to topple the BJP-led coalition Ministry. The then Health Minister, L. Jayenta Kumar of the NPP had said, “There is no surrender and no retreat”, and that the NPP is “all for toppling the coalition ministry”.
Mr. Ibobi staked his claim to form an alternative Ministry since the Congress has majority. But before Governor Najma Heptulla had the time to reply, NPP leaders, including Mr. Sangma, the party’s national president CM of Meghalaya, rushed to Imphal to firefight the trouble. The four NPP MLAs returned to the Ministry once their original portfolios were restored to them. Senior Congress leaders deplored the way the NPP had made a sport of the Congress Party in this manner. They further said that, this time, if some political parties approached them, the issue would be closely examined to ensure that the dissatisfied former ministers would not leave the Congress in the lurch.
It is understandable that, so far, no party has approached the Congress, despite the fact that without its support the coalition Ministry cannot be moved.
