Sambit Patra, the BJP leader in charge of Manipur, met Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday for the second time in less than 24 hours amid political uncertainty triggered by former chief minister N Biren Singh’s resignation on Sunday.
Patra met the governor earlier on Tuesday with BJP state president A Sharda Devi. They were also accompanied by state education minister Th Basanta Kumar Singh, NPF’s Manipur unit president Awangbou Newmai and JD(U) MLA Nasir.
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The BJP leader also held a key meeting on Wednesday with party MLAs, including state consumer affairs minister L Susindro and MLA Karam Shyam.
‘No crisis’
Shyam denied reports of a constitutional crisis in the state after the chief minister’s resignation. He asserted that ongoing “issues” in the state will be resolved with the help of legislators and the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
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“I don’t know about the President’s Rule. I think the problem (ongoing leadership crisis) will be resolved by the Centre with the help of the legislators. I think there is no constitutional crisis in Manipur,” the BJP MLA said before meeting Patra.
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Shyam laughed when asked about the name of the new chief minister and declined to comment further on the development. “Let’s see what happens,” he said when asked about the expiry of the maximum six-month interval between two consecutive sessions of the state assembly.
Congress questions Patra’s visit
Congress MLA Thokchom Lokeshwar questioned a series of meetings held by the BJP and asked if it was really intended to solve the “leadership crisis” in the state.
“It is really unfortunate for the BJP leaders to be not able to select their own CM and convene the assembly session. What is the purpose of Patra’s visit to the state? Has he come to break the state apart?” Lokeshwar asked.
The Congress leader opined that Patra should have taken the lead in appointing a new chief minister for Manipur. “His visit is to ensure that there is no assembly session and the issues of the state remain sidelined. So far, he has not made any comment either,” said Lokeshwar, who is also the former Speaker of Manipur assembly.
He also claimed that declaring the Assembly session ‘null and void’ has never been heard in any other state.
“If President’s Rule is imposed, the political scenario will change completely and the internal conflict within the BJP-led government will come under scrutiny as well,” he added.
The Manipur Governor has already declared the seventh session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, which was set to commence on February 10, as null and void.
The last session of the assembly in the restive state concluded on August 12, 2024.
Expert warns
Senior Supreme Court Advocate Arunabh Chowdhury said that the President rule is likely to be imposed in the state if the BJP is unable to pick a chief minister. There is no provision under Article 174 to extend the gap between two assembly sessions beyond six months, he added.
“In Manipur, the assembly is a live one. It is not under suspended animation or President’s Rule. It is mandatory to hold assembly sessions as per the Supreme Court order. Obviously, it will lead to a big constitutional crisis,” he told PTI.
Article 356 of the Constitution gives the President the power to impose this rule on a state on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers.