Rifts surface in State BJP; Remove Patel or I retire from party : Th Chaoba
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 12 2016: Internal divisions and dissension seem to have started rocking BJP Manipur Pradesh when the Manipur State Legislative Assembly election is barely two months away.

BJP Manipur Pradesh election management committee convenor Th Chaoba has categorically stated that he would retire from the party if BJP Manipur in-charge Prahlad Singh Patel is not removed from his post.

There seems to be two highly polarised camps�� one led by Th Chaoba and another led by BJP Manipur Pradesh president Ksh Bhabananda.

Notably, BJP State unit office was stormed by a large number of BJP workers/supporters after Union Ministers, MPs and the party's State leaders abstained from two election meetings organised at Heingang and Patsoi yesterday.

Rifts surface in State BJP; Remove Patel or I retire from party : Th Chaoba

Th Chaoba today visited S Kunjakishore (Keba) and made a clarification before media persons where P Saratchandra was also present.

Incidentally, S Kunja-kishore and P Saratchandra have been preparing to contest the forthcoming election on BJP tickets in Patsoi AC and Heingang AC respectively.

A large number of people also gathered at the home of Kunjakishore on learning that Th Chaoba was there.

He said that two election meetings were organised at Patsoi and Heingang yesterday after due approval was obtained from Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and Lok Sabha MP and Manipur in-charge Prahlad Singh Patel.

Th Chaoba was at Manipur Bhavan, Delhi when he obtained the Union Minister's approval for organising the election meetings.

S Kunjakishore and P Sarat-chandra were also at Delhi.

On the other hand, BJP Manipur Pradesh president Ksh Bhabananda was staying in a house allotted to the State Chief Secretary at Delhi during that time.

At the advice of Th Chaoba, S Kunjakishore went to Bhabananda to seek his approval for organising the election meeting.

Bhabananda too gave his approval.

Yet, Chaoba insisted that the approval should have been obtained in black and white.

Soon after, Kunjakishore and P Saratchandra were sent back to Imphal to start preparations for the election meetings.

However, Bhabananda, after reaching Imphal, issued an order which stated that the party would not be holding the two election meetings.

Even as Kunjakishore brought a copy of the order to Th Chaoba, the latter maintained that the meetings should go ahead.

Chaoba also called on Prakash Javadekar on the matter in a hotel and the latter assured that he would attend both the meetings.

Subsequently, Javadekar's assurance was conveyed to Keba and Saratchandra.

Interestingly, Chaoba came across ex-MLA N Biren and MLA Th Bishwajit when he came out of the hotel after meeting Javadekar.

Later, Prakash Javadekar asked Th Chaoba why election meetings should be held for other intending candidates when there was N Biren in Heingang AC and S Premananda in Patsoi AC.

Chaoba then questioned the Union Minister's flip-flop stand on the matter.

The party's authority also asked Th Chaoba not to attend the election meetings organised at Heingang and Patsoi yesterday.

Chaoba said that there were only 12,000 BJP members in the State when he took over as BJP Manipur Pradesh president.

Nonetheless, 4,10,000 people of Manipur were enrolled in BJP during the next three years.

Since that time, BJP's candidates for all the Assembly segments have been identified.

But the whole plan has been thrown down the gutter by Prahlad Patel, Chaoba decried.

He said that he and all those people who have suffered long for the party would resign en masse if they are not given party tickets.

"Those who came through backdoor cannot not dictate terms in the party.

BJP National president Amit Shah has already assured that party tickets would be given to men/women who have the greatest potential to win the election", Chaoba asserted.