WITH GOVERNOR Najma Heptulla stating on Tuesday that she has invited the BJP-led coalition to form the government in Manipur, Chief Minister-designate N Biren Singh is slated to take oath on Wednesday along with 11 cabinet ministers. “I have not spoken to the Chief Minister (N Biren), but I would like him to prove majority as soon as possible on the floor of the House. Either on the 22nd or 23rd of this month,” Heptulla told the media in the evening. This will be the first BJP-led government in Manipur. Heptulla admitted that outgoing chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh had met her and staked claim to form the government. She, however, said the BJP has the numbers. “They have more than 30, they have the requisite numbers,” she said. While the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the In Imphal, Biren gets call from Raj Bhavan to lead state, winning 28 of the total 60 seats, one of its MLAs has declared that he wants to join the BJP. The BJP won 21 seats, but it claims to have the backing of the NPP (4), NPF (4), LJP (1), and three others — an Independent MLA, a TMC MLA, and the defecting Congress MLA. “The responsibility of the Governor, as vested by the Constitution, is to weigh and measure the stability of the state. I know the Congress is the single largest party. But it is not incumbent on the Governor to call them. the ruling of the Supreme Court today shows this. It is the responsibility of the Governor to see who has got majority, in the interest of the state and in the interest of the stability of the state,” said Heptulla. “There are a number of things important for Manipur — development and issues regarding the youth and jobs. For this, stability is necessary,” she said. “I don’t know what allegations the Congress is making. In my 37 years in Parliament and 17 in the chair, even when I was a part of the Congress, I had to work with both Congress and non-Congress governments. Nobody has ever alleged that I was biased or unfair. Even the Congress party has never complained. They know that I am a straightforward person and that I have always gone by the book,” said Heptulla. The Governor said she was yet to receive a list of those who will be sworn in on Wednesday. “I want the government to start functioning and begin work as soon as possible. I have been in Manipur for seven months, and I want whatever is necessary for the development and progress of the state and prosperity of the people. I expect the government that has been chosen to do this. I cannot comment on whether the previous government has been effective or not. That is not for me to judge. It was for the people of the state to decide, and they have delivered their decision,” she said. “In elections, someone wins and someone loses. It is the responsibility of the opposition to function responsibly and ensure good governance alongside the ruling party. I hope the opposition in Manipur will be a responsible opposition,” she said.
