Manipur crisis: We won't take U-turn on decision, says NPP chief

Imphal: The National People’s Party’s (NPP) Manipur unit chief Thangminlien Kipgen on Monday said that they won’t change their decision to withdraw support to the N Biren Singh-led coalition government in Manipur and will remain firm on their political standpoint.

In an exclusive interview with EastMojo, Kipgen said: “We will go according to our announcement, which means, we will not backtrack or take a U-turn. However, as per our political standpoint, we will go where our people want us to go.”

Kipgen’s response came after reports of both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the NPP tried to iron out their differences in the backdrop of party chief Conrad K Sangma and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma flying to Manipur on Sunday and holding closed-door meetings with the four NPP MLAs in a bid to patch up and save the current government.

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The NPP leader also accused the state government headed by N Biren Singh of functioning in an autocratic and undemocratic manner rather than building confidence among the coalition partners.

“There is no discussion with the coalition parties. Whatever Biren wants without consulting the NPP, he alone is the deciding factor,” said Kipgen.

“We decided to walk out of the BJP-led coalition government due to the step-motherly treatment meted to our party members by the government despite the role NPP played during the formation of the government in 2017,” he added.

According to the state party chief, the BJP did not consult its five allies, especially NPP, much against the coalition government rules to put up a common candidate for the already held Rajya Sabha elections. This has led to the crack in the already sour political relations between the two parties.

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On Sunday, in a press release, Kipgen pointed out seven major reasons on why its party, an ally to the BJP-led coalition government for the last three years, withdrew its support. He alleged that despite their repeated reminders to CM N Biren Singh, the government remained deaf to form a steering committee — a platform for collective decision-making.

There is a written proof that there is no coalition ethics at all, Kipgen said.

In addition, at the time of formation of coalition government in Manipur in 2017, the NPP had proposed to have a common minimum programme for the development of the state on a priority basis. However, it could not be materialised in spite of repeated reminders to CM Biren Singh, he said.

Every political party has its own political ideology and identity. However, coalition government of five political parties should be christened by a name of the coalition front they did not take heed but turn into a deaf ears to it by the BJP-led government, the party alleged.

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Following a recent fallout in Manipur after nine legislators, including three BJP MLAs who had resigned from the party, announced to cease their support to the BJP-led government, the NPP has now joined hands with Opposition Congress under the Secular Progressive Front (SPF).

The newly formed coalition is now pushing for a special session of the Assembly to move a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government.

With BJP now holding a minority in the House, we are confident that under SPF, we will form the government in Manipur, Kipgen added.

He further said that people say politics is a dirty game. “But according to me, politics is not a dirty game, it is the people who make politics dirty. Truthfulness and principle always win the race,” he said.

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