No trust-building measures taken in Manipur: Conrad
Shillong, Nov 18: NPP chief and Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma has clarified that the decision to withdraw support from the BJP-ruled Manipur government was a move against the leadership of chief minister Biren Singh, and not against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of which NPP is still a part.
The National People’s Party (NPP) might reconsider its stand if there is a change of leadership in the Manipur government, Sangma said on Monday.
The NPP, which has seven legislators in the 60-member Manipur assembly, withdrew its support to the Biren Singh government holding him responsible for the worsening law and order situation in the state.
However, the NPP chief reaffirmed his party’s commitment to the NDA and its goal of fostering peace. “As the second-largest party in Manipur, we are ready to cooperate in efforts to restore peace. However, we do not support the current leadership of Biren Singh. If there is a leadership change that brings positive results, we might reconsider our position,” he said.
Highlighting his party’s stance, Sangma said, “We strongly feel there is no confidence in the current leadership of chief minister Biren Singh. While violence is not a solution, it is evident that sentiments among the people are running high.”
“We have withdrawn support to the Biren Singh government-led government and not NDA,” he said, adding, “We supported the government with the expectation of normalcy. However, in the last week, the situation has worsened significantly.”
Expressing his deep concern over the unrest in Manipur and alleged lack of confidence-building measures, he said, “It is due to this trust deficit that overall efforts to bring peace are failing to reach their logical conclusion… no such efforts have been made so far.”
Sangma referred to his party’s discussions with central BJP leaders on the issue and said the NPP had repeatedly emphasised the urgent need for trust-building efforts.
He also urged the Central government to take serious note of the situation in Manipur and act decisively to bring stability to the state.
As Manipur continues to grapple with a deepening crisis with tensions and violence showing no signs of abating, the withdrawal of support by seven NPP MLAs could have significant political ramifications although the BJP-led government still enjoys comfortable majority in the assembly.
