Came back to Govt to avert PR: NPP Minister
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 17 2020: National People's Party (NPP) reportedly came back to the N Biren-led coalition Government because the party did not like imposition of President's Rule in the State.

Speaking exclusively to The Sangai Express, one NPP Minister who did not want to be named claimed that the public have a fair idea about how the Biren-led Government functions and also his relation with BJP Ministers.

Maintaining that the NPP did not expect much from the Government, the Cabinet Minister asserted that NPP always prefers an elected Government to rule the State instead of pushing the State under President's Rule.

National People's Party (NPP) Logo

NPP walked out of the BJP-led coalition Government with an intention to establish a popular Government headed by a capable leader.

It was this intention which drove NPP to join hands with Congress and revive the Secular Progressive Front (SPF), said the NPP Minister.

He said that the four NPP MLAs joined hands with Congress to let them form a new Government but the number (of MLAs) is one primary factor for formation of any Government.

However, to the utter disappointment of NPP, Congress party was found totally unprepared and disoriented.

The unfolding political developments were minutely examined by the NPP National president.

"Soon, NPP National president Conrad Sangma and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma came to Imphal and we were taken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah directly", he said.

At Delhi, the number of MLAs commanded by BJP and its partners and the other camp led by Congress were calculated repeatedly and it was found that there was a difference of just one or two MLA(s).

But it is a convention that the ruling party or alliance should command 10 per cent more MLAs, said the NPP Minister.

Highlighting existing figures, Amit Shah categorically stated that there would be President's Rule in the State before a new Government is formed, he conveyed.

Apart from Conrad Sangma, Himanta Biswa Sarma and the four NPP MLAs, BJP National president JP Nadda was also present during the meeting with Amit Shah.

There is no point in talking about what Amit Shah said about Chief Minister N Biren.

What mattered most to NPP was Amit Shah's proposal that NPP should support BJP when it wins more seats and BJP would reciprocate in the same manner when NPP wins more seats, he confided.

Amit Shah also assured portfolios of Power to L Jayantakumar, RD&PR to Letpao Haokip, Horticulture & Soil Conservation to N Kayisii and Home to Y Joykumar in addition to the portfolios already allotted to them in case NPP agrees to come back and renew their support the Biren-led coalition Government, said the NPP Minister.

The question of Y Joykumar can be said to be settled as he has been given charge of Finance Department.

Notwithstanding the assurance of Amit Shah, Chief Minister N Biren has also his own preferences.

As such, NPP would wait and see what the BJP-led coalition Government would do about the assurance given by the Union Home Minister, he continued.

On being enquired about speculations that N Biren would effect a major reshuffle of his Council of Ministers by way of dropping five incumbent Ministers (two each from BJP and NPP, and Minister from another party) and induct Speaker Y Khemchand, MLAs Th Satyabrata, S Rajen, O Henry and O Lukhoi into the Council of Ministers while RK Imo would be elected as the new Speaker, the NPP Minister dared Chief Minister N Biren to drop two NPP Ministers.