Disgruntled Cong MLAs to parade before CM
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 26 2014:
In a major political development that could change the political equation in the ruling Congress government in the State, several Congress MLAs who are demanding replacement of all present Ministers with exception to that of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam have decided to storm the CM's Bungalow and parade before him on June 30 .
The decision was taken during a meeting convened at the residence of a Congress MLA at Kanglapat during which more than 20 MLAs participated.
Sources said the MLAs also unanimously decided to urge the Chief Minister to give them a stipulated deadline for replacing the Ministers and take a firm stand collectively in this regard to let everyone know that they have waited enough.
In case the Chief Minister tries to placate them with the assurances that the matter of replacing Ministers will be looked into after the Assembly Session which is scheduled to start from first week of July, the aggrieved Congress MLAs also decided to skip the Assembly session.
Sources further that even if Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh-led Congress Congress boast of having 47 MLAs in the House of 60 members, discontentment within is mounting like a time bomb which could explode at any time.
In case of the Chief Minister fails to bring about an amicable solution to the demand raised by the disgruntled Congress MLAs, there is going to a political upheaval in the State.
Notably, there are also two groups among the agitating MLAs.
The first group comprises those MLAs who have never received any Ministerial berth and this group is insisting they should be inducted into the Ministry this time.
The other group consisted of ex-Ministers who feel that they should be given the Ministerial berths in due consideration of their experience in the administration, sources said.
On the other hand, to oppose the demand for replacing them, several serving Ministers have also come together to fight back for saving their respective Ministerial posts, sources added.
These three opposing groups have put Congress in a very disadvantageous state today.
The demand of replacing the current Ministers by the MLAs has come after the Chief Minister had assured that Ministerial berths would be given to those Congress MLAs who were left out in the first Ministry expansion after the after the end of half term of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Most Congress MLAs have been hoping that the Chief Minister would keep his words and waiting for their day to seat on the chairs of the Ministers.
Sources, clarified that though Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, Th Lokeshwar is not included amongst the agitating MLAs, yet is he still counted among the list of probable Ministers in case of Ministry reshuffling.
But some MLAs feel that he should stay as an MLA during the second term and the Speaker post be given to another.
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