Manipur: Fourth MLA quits govt post; BJP says ‘no threat’

The flurry of legislators quitting government posts began on April 13, when former cop and Heirok MLA Thokchom Radheshyam Singh resigned as the CM’s advisor, saying he had “not been given any responsibility”. In the week that followed, two more legislators — Langthabal MLA Karam Shyam and Wangjing Tentha MLA P Brojen Singh — quit their posts as heads of Manipur Tourism Corporation and Manipur Development Society, respectively. Two of them — Thokchom Radheshyam and Karam Shyam — had been Cabinet ministers in Biren’s first term.

The four legislators are among the MLAs who are reportedly camping in Delhi to voice their grievances to the BJP high command.

Sources say the churn is against the “highhandedness” in CM Biren’s style of functioning. One of the dissenting MLAs had earlier told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity, that the CM was not acting like a “team player”. “Things are not well in the state BJP… In a democratic country, one expects a democratic leadership… not a monarchy,” he had said. He also alleged that the CM favours development only in “some constituencies”, among them Sagolband, whose MLA is his son-in-law Rajkumar Imo Singh. “Our workers ask why no development is happening in our constituency, but I have no answer to give,” the MLA had said, adding that they were not demanding “new posts”, but just wanted “to work”.

A senior BJP leader, who did not want to be named, rubbished the allegations against Biren and said the MLAs were “powerhungry” and working for “personal gains”. “They want ministerial berths,” he alleged.

Apart from the four, there are reports of a few other BJP MLAs — belonging to the Kuki community — who are also in Delhi with grievances. They are reportedly unhappy with the Manipur government’s crackdown on poppy cultivation, and the CM’s decision to suspend the SoO (Suspension of Operations) agreement with Kuki rebel groups in March 2023. These Kuki MLAs are facing the heat on the ground, as poppy cultivation was a source of subsistence for locals, sources said, adding that both these groups (Kuki MLAs and the rest) have come together to build pressure against the CM.

However, Manipur BJP insists that all is well within the party.

On Friday, the party had held a high-level meeting in Imphal, following which state president A Sharda Devi told reporters that she had not received “any complaints” from the MLAs. “The high-level meeting was convened only to discuss the internal matters for the development of the party… there is no political conspiracy among the BJP MLAs,” she had said.

However, sources in the Manipur BJP said that the developments were unlikely to affect the Biren Singh-led government. “The strength of the Manipur Assembly is 60… and the BJP has the support of 55 MLAs. What can 4–5 MLAs do? It is not a threat to us yet,” a senior BJP leader said.