Four days after two members dropped from Ministry, NPP still sticks to 'wait and watch' line
Will stay or walk out together, reiterates NPP
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 28 2020: NPP State unit interim president N Kayisii who was recently dropped from the Council of Ministers has reiterated that the party's MLAs would stay together within the BJP-led coalition or walk out of it together.

Speaking to media persons today at the Babupara quarters of fellow MLA L Jayantakumar, N Kayisii clarified that there is no polarisation of any sort within NPP just because two of the MLAs have been dropped from the Council of Ministers while two are still retained as Cabinet Ministers.

"There is no change to our earlier collective decision that he will stay together or walk out of the BJP-led coalition together..Time will tell," Kayisii said.

Expressing surprise over the sudden Cabinet reshuffle effected recently, the NPP interim president said it was unprecedented that a coalition Government reshuffled its Council of Ministers without sharing any information with its coalition partners.

"On hearing about removal of two NPP Ministers, I asked the party's National president if he had any prior knowledge about it.

The party president replied that he had no idea and he was not informed", Kayisii said.

"Being the interim president of the party's State unit, I think I should be informed before the reshuffle was done but the way the Ministry reshuffle was effected without sharing any information was rather surprising", he continued.

Following the Cabinet reshuffle, all the four NPP MLAs of the State went to Guwahati and Shillong and deliberated on the latest political developments with party president Conrad Sangma.

"Conrad Sangma advised us to stick together", Kayisii conveyed.

With due notification for the by-election likely to be issued within the next couple of days, NPP has been rather busy in selecting its candidates, he said.

NPP may or may not walk out of the BJP-led coalition Government but all the four MLAs would stick together in either case, asserted the interim president and added that time will tell which option they choose.

NPP Manipur unit legislature wing leader L Jayantakumar maintained that he would not like to disclose about the party's strategy they discussed with Conrad Sangma for now.

But it is only a matter of time before the party's strategy is disclosed to the public, he said.

Decrying the way two NPP Ministers were dropped from the Council of Ministers overnight, Jayantakumar appealed to all other coalition partners to be always alert.

He maintained there is no division among the four NPP MLAs.

NPP would not take much time.

It is only waiting for the right moment but there should be certain ethics for a coalition Government, Jayantakumar said.

Due information should have been given to the NEDA Chairman and the NPP State unit president.

"But the way the Ministry reshuffle was effected all of a sudden without sharing any information was an attempt to ruin our political career", he decried.

By allotting Ministerial berths to ex-MLAs, the Chief Minister was trying to ensure victory of the two-ex-MLAs when they go to by-polls after six months, Jayantakumar said before asking as to why the Government is unable to find a replacement for the lone woman Minister who too has been dropped.

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