Firmly resolved to topple Govt: Jayantakumar
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 22 2020: NPP legislator L Jayantakumar has categorically stated that there is no change in their resolve to topple the BJP-led coalition Government.

Speaking to media persons this afternoon at the Patsoi camp of SPF which was re-constituted recently by Congress, NPP, one Independent MLA and the three MLAs who quit BJP recently and joined Congress, L Jayantakumar said that there are many reasons for the NPP to withdraw support to the BJP-led coalition Government and join SPF amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant suffering of the masses and one main reason is misgovernance.

The apparent ignorance of Chief Minister N Biren about the power and authority entitled to him, misinterpretation and misuse of law and authoritarian nature of N Biren are some other reasons for NPP to quit the BJP-led coalition, he said.

Firmly resolved to topple Govt: Jayantakumar

Responding to a query, Jayantakumar said that he and other NPP MLAs talked with party leader and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma who arrived at Imphal yesterday.

"Conrad told me that he would not say anything when we take any decision to further strengthen NPP in the State", Jayantakumar said.

Conrad came to Imphal together with BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"Himanta fervently appealed to us to come back to the BJP-led coalition but we made it clear that it is impossible", Jayantakumar conveyed.

It is a legal matter how much time the Governor can take in responding to the no confidence motion moved by SPF against the Biren Government, he said in response to another query.

SPF has been consulting advocates on the matter apart from checking if there any relevant rulings of the Supreme Court or precedents in High Courts, he said.

"Chief Minister N Biren and I grew up as colleagues and he is also the leader of the Government.

But he has been abusing law and the authority entitled to him.

It seemed all the 11 Ministers of his Government were appointed just for manifestation", Jayantakumar continued.

Biren has been running the Government with some bureaucrat officers he chose and picked.

Such highly centralised governance of N Biren is a common experience of all Ministers, he said.

As a leader of the Government, Biren may take control of bureaucracy, judiciary and the legislature but there was no sign of Biren working in a systematic manner for the welfare of people, Jayantakumar remarked.

Apart from registering FIRs, NSA was invoked against citizens for expressing some opinions in social media which smacked of misinterpretation of law.

"We, the four NPP MLAs, were not saying anything for the last three years hoping that N Biren would mend his ways", Jayantakumar said.

The coalition Government has no idea of the adage "philosopher should be king and king should be philosopher".

There is no sense of justice or responsibility.

The coalition Government led by N Biren is highly vindictive, he continued.

"If somebody asks us about what we did when we were serving as Cabinet Ministers, we cannot deflect the questions to the Chief Minister.

We quit the BJP-led coalition and joined SPF so that we have answers when people ask us why we were supporting the coalition", Jayantakumar said.

He said that there was no meaning in supporting the Government.

NPP withdrew its support to the BJP-led Government to save the public from the adverse impact of its misgovernance which would be more severe than the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he asserted.

Ex-Chief Minister and CLP leader O Ibobi, ex-Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, NPP MLA Y Joykumar and other SPF MLAs were also present at the press meet.