BJP coalition Government in Manipur is in deep crisis

Imphal-   N Biren Singh led BJP coalition Government in Manipur is in deep crisis after resignation of Three BJP legislators  on Wednesday, 18 June. The three BJP MLAs who resigned are TT Haokip, S Subhaschandra Singh and Samuel Jendai, who has joined Congress.

Four members of National People’s Party (NPP), of  coalition party of BJP government in the state, including Health Minister L Jayantakumar Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar Singh, Tribal Affairs minister N Kayisii, and YAS Minister Letpao Haokip, also withdrew support to the BJP.

The state’s lone independent MLA of Jiribam and a Trinamool Congress MLA has also withdrawn support to the BJP-led coalition government and expressed support to the Congress.

Soon after three Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs resigned from the Manipur Legislative Assembly, the Congress said that it will approach Governor Najma Heptullah to call for a special Assembly session to floor a no-confidence motion against the government.

The Manipur Assembly has a current strength of 59 MLAs. One MLA who had defected to BJP from Congress was disqualified. Ibobi also claimed that the Congress has support of 30 MLAs.

In total, the BJP has lost the support of 9 MLAs of which three are from its own camp.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the Congress had won 28 of the 60 seats while the BJP scored 21. Although the Congress was the single largest party, it couldn’t form the government and the BJP with the support of 4 National People’s Party MLAs, lone TMC MLA and 4 Naga People’s Front (BJP ally in Nagaland) formed its first government.

Biren Singh has been facing revolt since long and several attempts were made in past to dethrone him from within the party ranks. However, he managed to survive after the BJP central leadership’s intervention. But on April 9, Biren Singh divested his deputy and NPP leader Joykumar of all portfolios.

Joykumar told media that the Chief Minister had promised 5 kg rice to everyone and assured there will be no shortage during lockdown, but that was not the case.

“I raised the matter. Soon after, he took away my portfolios. BJP members had called for our resignation from the government,” he said.

Joykumar was in charge of environment, forest and climate change portfolios. The CM has now transferred them to himself.

He also claimed that Biren had said that after the Rajya Sabha election all NPP ministers will be dropped from the cabinet. “The BJP keeps attacking its own allies. How could we accept this behaviour?” he said.

Incidentally, Joykumar was DG Police of Manipur during Ibobi’s tenure and has a close working relationship with the former CM.