IT News
Imphal, June 30:
Chief minister N.Biren Singh today left Imphal for New Delhi at around 2 pm on a special charter flight. Source from the Chief Minister office said that the visit is to call on with the central leadership of the BJP including National President JP Nadda , Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah among others in connection with the recent victory of BJP candidate Leisemba Sanajaoba in the Rajya Sabha Election held on June 19.
“It is just a courtesy call to the central leadership in connection with the recent victory by BJP in the lone Rajya seat of Manipur”, a source from the CMO said.
Interestingly the Chief Minister was accompanied by Congress MLA RK Imo. Chief Secretary of Manipur Dr. Suresh Babu was supposed to join the team but canceled in the last minute a source said. Four other persons including the PRO to CM Sanajaoba and two others also accompanied the Chief Minister in his Delhi visit.
Even as the Chief Minister’s visit is stated to be related to the victory of BJP Candidate as Rajya Sabha member, another source close to the Chief Minister’s office said that the Chief Minister will personally discuss the political development in the wake and aftermath of the Rajya Sabha Election. The real purpose of the visit is to discuss in depth over the issue of the NPP MLAs who had resigned from the minister and left the BJP led government to join the Congress camp but return with more demand that gives additional headache to the government.
Even as the four NPP MLAs returned to the government, BJP MLAs and the party’s ally NPF have been demanding equal distribution of ministerial berth to all ally partners. Four ministers and portfolios as desire by them are more like blackmailing the government on the pretext that the BJP government will collapse without the NPP, a BJP hardcore worker told Imphal Times. Earlier some weeks ago, a BJP MLA while talking to Imphal Times had already expressed his displeasure over the allotment of ministers to all the NPP MLAs and had stated that if the government does not make a major reshuffle than they will uprise again.
After the Rajya Sabha election, the N. Biren Singh government is confident in protecting his government even without the support of the NPP.
“We have won the Rajya Sabha Election without the NPP and we are sure that the BJP will remain even after floor test”, an important functionary of the BJP government said.
Regarding Congress claims about imposing whip, the BJP functionary said that there are ways to handle such matters and that BJP is not a fool to allow somebody easily attacking us. In politics, planning and strategy is what is required.
The four NPP MLAs return to the government after much negotiation with the party chief Conrad Sangma and BJP’s Himanta Biswa.
Whether the Chief Minister will keep all the four NPP MLAs as minister’s reinstating their portfolios or will he convince the central leadership so that he can put under control the anger of other BJP MLAs and ally partner NPF by degrading the NPP MLAs is a matter yet to be known.
