NPP ministers make a U-turn in Manipur, extend support to BJP-led govt

A week after four ministers from the National People’s Party, including the Deputy Chief Minister, resigned from the Manipur Assembly, all four legislators submitted a letter to Governor Najma Heptulla on Thursday (June 25), extending their support to the government headed by Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Their decision came after party president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma arrived in Imphal on Thursday morning from Delhi. He had earlier held a meeting with BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) chairman Himanta Biswa Sarma in Delhi.

Sangma said the party MLAs — Yumnam Joykumar Singh, L Jayentakumar, Letpao Haokip and N Kayisi — would also withdraw their resignations as ministers as Shah assured to look into their issues. Later, the legislators visited the Raj Bhavan to submit a letter of support to the BJP-led government. They also met Chief Minister Biren Singh at the Secretariat.

“We had meetings with Nadda and Shah, and we expressed all our grievances and concerns we had as a part of this alliance,” Sangma told reporters outside the Imphal airport. “Both the leaders understood and assured us that all the issues will be addressed and taken care of,” he said.

On June 24, Sarma, the BJP”s trouble-shooter, took the NPP delegation for a meeting with Shah on Wednesday as the Manipur government plunged into a crisis after the rebellion of nine MLAs on June 17. The delegation later met BJP president Nadda.

Besides the four ministers, three BJP MLAs had also resigned from the party and the assembly. Further, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent legislator withdrew their support from the BJP-led government.