Manipur govt on sticky wicket; opposition steps up efforts to oust BJP-led coalition

Imphal: The Congress in Manipur stepped up efforts on Thursday to oust the BJP-led government, which is on a sticky wicket after nine members of the ruling coalition including four ministers resigned, by urging Governor Najma Heptullah to convene a special assembly session for taking up a no-confidence motion.

A delegation of opposition members led by the Congress met the governor and requested her to call the special assembly session  "at the shortest possible time".

After submitting a letter to the governor, chief of the National People's Party (NPP) Thangmilen Kipgen told reporters that they also requested her to invite the newly-formed Secular People's Front (SPF) under the leadership of Congress leader O Ibobi Singh to form the new government in the state.

The memorandum mentioned that letters of support from all members of the SPF, including Congress, NPP, All India Trinamool Congress and Independent MLAs have been enclosed for the governor's perusal.

So far there is no word from the Raj Bhavan on the issue.

In addition to the four National People's Party (NPP) ministers, including former Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar Singh, three BJP MLAs, lone AITC legislator and an Independent had withdrawn support to the N Biren Singh dispensation on Wednesday.

According to a bulletin issued by M Ramani Devi, Secretary of the Assembly, the Speaker has accepted the resignation of the three BJP MLAs -- T Thangzalam Haokip, Soibam Subhaschandra Singh and Samuel Jendai Kamamei -- from membership of the assembly.

The bulletin further said that following their resignations from the assembly, the seats they represented --  Henglep (ST), Naoriya Pakhanglakpa and Tamenglong (ST) -- lie vacant from Thursday onwards.

Meanwhile, Ibobi Singh said the Congress has not engineered any defection in the ruling coalition. He also asserted that the party can prove the majority if a special session of the assembly is convened.

He said, "the party decided to go along with the like-minded MLAs."

After the high political drama, total strength against the chief minister is now 29 -- 20 from Congress, 4 from NPP, 3 from BJP (who quit on Wednesday), one from TMC and an Independent.

The figure in support of Biren Singh stood at 23, including 18 BJP MLAs, 4 of Naga People's Front (NPF) and one MLA from LJP.

Seven Congress MLAs, who had crossed over to the BJP, are facing anti-defection cases under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution in the Speaker's tribunal as well as in the High Court of Manipur.

The Speaker's tribunal, which had earlier said that it would hear the disqualification cases of the seven Congress MLAs, who had crossed over to the BJP earlier, on June 22 advanced it and heard the matter during the day.

But, the high court directed the assembly Speaker not to pronounce any order on the pending disqualification cases of defector Congress MLAs till Friday.

The court order said, "it is clear that the order/judgement reserved today by the Hon'ble Speaker, shall not be pronounced by him till tomorrow."

Election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Manipur is scheduled to be held on June 19. The BJP and the Congress have put up candidates for the polls.

The Manipur High Court through an earlier order has restricted the seven defecting Congress MLAs from entering into the state assembly till the pronouncement of the order by the Speaker.

The Congress during the day expressed its anger against Speaker Y Khemchandra Singh by serving a notice for his removal.

Congress MLA K Meghachandra submitted the notice to the Secretary of the Assembly under Article 179 (c) of the Constitution that provides that a Speaker (or Deputy Speaker) may be removed from his office by a resolution of the Assembly passed by a majority of all the then members of the Assembly.

Meghachandra said the move was necessitated as the Speaker has "conducted himself in a manner unbecoming of the position held by him and actions" that are "unconstitutional and illegal".

The Speaker is a second-term BJP MLA.

One Congress MLA who joined the BJP-led government was disqualified from the membership of Manipur Legislative Assembly recently, reducing the strength of the house to 59. Assembly election in Manipur was held in 2017.

The four former ministers who resigned on Wednesday claimed that they were forced to walk out because of the way the government and the party treated them. 

"The way this government has treated our party and ministers including me, we deliberated in detail about what will be the best course of action of the party and for us... And keeping in view particularly the assembly election in early 2022, we decided to tender our resignation," Joykumar said.

Asked if they would support Congress, he said, "Obviously, we may be exploring the option and definitely form a government after moving a no-confidence motion."