Guwahati: Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, dubbed as the 'Chanakya of the Northeast' for his troubleshooting abilities on Sunday visited the state of Manipur where the Congress and the BJP are currently engaged a tussled gain ascendancy and form the Government. Sarma was accompanied by his Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA) partner Conrad Sangma, whose National People's Party (NPP) MLAs have defected to the Congress-led coalition amid the turmoil.
The visit of the duo to Manipur, where the Congress has formed a new alliance - the SPF (Secular Progressive Front) - in its bid to topple the N Biren Singh led BJP regime, comes at the behest of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
According to reports, Sangma is concerned that the fallout between the BJP and NPP in Manipur could trouble his party's ties with the saffron party.
SPF, which is led from the front by the Congress veteran and 3-time former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, is pushing for a special session of the Assembly to move a no-confidence motion against the government. On June 19, the coalition called on Governor Najma Heptulla of Manipur and claimed that it now possesses the magic numbers to form the Government in Manipur.
Meanwhile, the Manipur unit of the NPP, led by the former deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar, has said that the change in leadership is a non-negotiable demand. In a statement, the NPP said, "The BJP is running the government in an autocratic manner and has refused to form a steering committee." The NPP further added that there was no common minimum programme, no name for the alliance or consultation with coalition partners to decide Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha candidates, ministerial portfolios were also being deprived from the NPP.
Meanwhile, the Congress, sniffing victory amid the political strife, has also flown in senior leaders Gaurav Gogoi -- in-charge of Manipur -- and former Union Minister Ajay Maken to Manipur.
It needs mention here that in Manipur, the N Biren Singh-led Government has been pushed to the brink after the resignation of three BJP MLAs, the ruling party in the state; and six coalition members, including four National People's Party (NPP), one Trinamool Congress (TMC) and one independent MLA from Jiribam quitting their support to BJP-led coalition government that was elected to power in 2017.