GUWAHATI: NDA ally NPP is open to reassessing its decision to quit the alliance in Manipur if there is change in the state leadership, party chief and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma clarified Monday, a day after withdrawing support to the N Biren Singh govt over the latter’s failure to resolve the ethnic strife there.
“This (withdrawal of support) is specific to him (Biren Singh)… to the individual,” Sangma said, suggesting that NPP would continue backing BJP as an NDA constituent elsewhere. “Specifically, it’s the Biren Singh-led govt our party functionaries, MLAs in Manipur, and our state committee have lost confidence in. Therefore, we have decided not to support his govt.”
NPP pinning the blame on Biren Singh for the bloody internecine feuding since May 2023 coincided with office-bearers of BJP’s Jiribam unit resigning en masse. In a joint statement to BJP national president J P Nadda, the group said they were giving up their party membership “seeing the present unwelcome/helpless situation of Jiribam as well as Manipur as a whole”.
Sangma said NPP would wait and watch the NDA brass’s response before deciding whether it needs to revisit the question of rejoining the alliance. “Should we observe a change in leadership, witness positive progress, and recognise a strategic plan moving forward to find a resolution where we can constructively cooperate and contribute to ensuring peace and stability returns, then we will gladly consider collaboration.”
NPP has seven legislators in the 60-strong Manipur assembly. On paper, BJP remains unaffected by its withdrawal from NDA as the saffron party has a majority in the House with 32 MLAs, backed by five of the Naga People’s Front and six from JDU.
Sangma, who wrote to Nadda Sunday explaining why his party was pulling out of NDA in the state, said NPP had long been stressing the need for “trust-building measures” by the Union and state govts to reconcile the warring sides. “That wasn’t adequately accomplished. Despite maintaining optimism, we have witnessed further deterioration over the past week.”
