– The current BJP-led state government has 37 MLAs of its own and is supported by five NPF MLAs and one JDU MLA and two Independents. The NPP, with six MLAs, withdrew its support in November over Singh’s handling of the ongoing crisis
IIT/GBT: The Congress is set to move a no-confidence motion against the N. Biren Singh-led coalition government in Manipur amid growing unease over the chief minister’s handling of the unrest that erupted 21 months ago.
Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra Singh announced the proposed move through a post on X on Friday, comparing the no-trust motion with “brahmastra”, a celestial and destructive weapon linked to Lord Brahma, capping days of speculations after several state BJP MLAs went to Delhi to meet Central leaders over the growing unease with the state unit.
“Brahmastra missile will surely hit one of the double engines! Congress party set to move no-confidence motion anytime soon,” Meghachandra posted. His choice of words suggests that the Opposition party has mustered the required number of MLAs to at least move the motion in the Assembly session starting February 10.
The Congress has five MLAs in the 59-member Assembly. The party needs five more MLAs to move the motion and the support of 30 MLAs to see the motion through.
The current BJP-led state government has 37 MLAs of its own and is supported by five NPF MLAs and one JDU MLA and two Independents. The NPP, with six MLAs, withdrew its support in November over Singh’s handling of the ongoing crisis.
With 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, including seven BJP MLAs, not attending the last three Assembly sessions since the outbreak of the ethnic conflict on May 3, 2023, because of security reasons, the strength of the House is effectively reduced to 49.
The Kuki-Zo MLAs have, on numerous occasions, expressed their lack of confidence in Biren Singh, holding him responsible for the ongoing crisis.
The chief minister, who returned on Thursday night after taking a holy dip at the Mahakumbh, has also called a meeting of ruling coalition MLAs at the chief minister’s bungalow in Imphal on Saturday morning.
The number of MLAs who will attend or abstain from the meeting will suggest which way the wind was blowing, sources said.
“It is too early to predict anything because of Biren Singh’s ability to weather off political crisis. He had survived three no-confidence in his first term (2017-2022) as the chief minister, all initiated by the Congress. To see it through, the motion will have to be supported by BJP MLAs,” a source said.
“Anything can happen given the fate of earlier no-confidence motions but nobody can deny that the problems of the state BJP will only increase in the days to come, if issues related to the unrest are not fixed at the earliest,” another source said.
If moved, this will be the first no-trust motion in Biren Singh’s ongoing second term.
Sources said the Congress’s announcement of the no-confidence move comes in the wake of home minister Amit Shah’s efforts to contain the infighting within the state BJP against Biren Singh.
Shah met at least three senior leaders in Delhi, including Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, cabinet minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and MLA Radhheshyam Thokchom.
