In a dramatic political setback for the ruling political party, members of the 43/Phungyar BJP Mandal and Morchas of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Manipur Pradesh, tendered mass resignations from the party’s primary membership on Thursday, just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Manipur.
The exodus was spearheaded by Nachonmi Ramshang, Special Invitee of BJP Manipur Pradesh, who walked out along with senior active members and grassroots workers. The wave of resignations included the Mandal president and colleagues, presidents of Mahila, Yuva and Kishan Morchas with their associates, the ST Morcha executive, and as many as 53 booth presidents.
In their joint statement, the leaders accused the party of sidelining grassroots voices, citing “lack of consultation, inclusiveness and respect for local leadership” as the breaking point. While asserting that their loyalty to BJP’s ideology remained intact, they charged the party with ignoring the very backbone of its organisation.
Declaring that they could no longer remain silent spectators, the resigning members vowed to dedicate themselves to the welfare of their community and the people of Manipur. The en masse resignation, coming at a politically sensitive time, is seen as a stinging blow to the BJP’s local machinery ahead of the Prime Minister’s high-profile visit to the strife-torn state.