Cracks Widen in Manipur BJP as 19 of 37 MLAs Skip Chief Minister’s Meeting

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GUWAHATI : Tensions within the BJP’s Manipur unit escalated on Tuesday after 19 of the party’s 37 MLAs, representing different ethnic factions, skipped a key NDA meeting. The meeting, held the previous evening, passed a resolution to take strong action against “Kuki militants” accused of killing six Meitei inmates at a shelter for displaced persons in Jiribam.

Reports suggest that the CM’s office may have issued notices to 11 NDA members, including ministers, who were absent from the meeting. In response, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh shared a video message assuring that the government would take all necessary measures to safeguard all communities in the state, regardless of their ethnic background.

The meeting was called after Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP) withdrew its support from the NDA government, citing the Chief Minister’s failure to address the ongoing violence. The NDA currently holds 53 seats in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, which includes seven NPP MLAs, five from the Naga People’s Front (NPF), one from JD(U), and three Independents, one of whom is a Kuki. Despite being part of the ruling alliance, seven BJP MLAs from the Kuki community did not attend, while four NPP legislators participated, even after their party withdrew support.

Rural Development Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh was among the BJP MLAs who missed the meeting. Furthermore, three other BJP MLAs and one from NPF informed the party of their inability to attend due to health issues.

The opposition, comprising five Congress MLAs and two from the Kuki People’s Alliance, has strongly criticized the BJP’s internal divisions. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X, stating, “The writing on the wall is clear. But is the grand sutradhar of Manipur – Union Home Minister – reading it?”

At a press conference in New Delhi, Ramesh, alongside PCC chief K. Meghachandra Singh, called for the resignation of both Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Biren Singh for their failure to resolve the ongoing crisis in Manipur.

In another development, the Manipur government lifted the broadband blackout in valley districts on Tuesday, citing the hardships faced by citizens, healthcare, and educational institutions. However, mobile internet services remain suspended. Authorities also eased curfew restrictions in Imphal East, Imphal West, and Kakching districts from 5 am to 10 am on Wednesday, allowing people to purchase essential goods, though large gatherings and protests remain prohibited during this period.

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