Abstain from attending meeting convened by CM N Biren Singh: Manipur NPP to MLAs

An advisory signed by NPP state president N Kayisii emphasised that the party’s national president had officially withdrawn support from the Singh government on November 17.

Guwahati: Days after withdrawing support from the BJP-led government in conflict-torn Manipur, National People's Party (NPP) has asked its all seven MLAs to abstain from any meeting convened by Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

In an advisory, NPP's Manipur unit president N. Kayisii also asked the MLAs to inform or seek permission from the state president or national president (Conrad Sangma) before making any official statement before the media.

"Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in disciplinary action, as such actions could be perceived as undermining the party's position," it said.

Reminding the MLAs that the NPP officially withdrew its support to the Biren Singh-led government, the advisory said, "It is crucial that all party members strictly adhere to this decision."

The advisory was issued after three of its MLAs attended the meeting of the NDA MLAs convened by Biren Singh on Sunday (November 17) night.

Singh convened the meeting after the NPP president and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma wrote a letter to BJP national president JP Nadda conveying its decision to withdraw the support. Conrad alleged that the Biren Singh-led administration "completely failed" to maintain law and order and resolve the conflict. Conrad, however, later said that his party could reconsider the decision if Biren Singh is replaced.

At least 21 MLAs including 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs skipped the meeting convened by Singh, making the division among the ruling MLAs wide open. A statement issued after the meeting said 26 out of 48 NDA MLAs attended the meeting that included five belonging to Naga People's Front (NPF), another ally and three of the NPP.

Biren Singh is faced with questions about his future since fresh violence erupted in Manipur since November 7, in which at least 21 people, belonging to Meitei and Kuki-Hmar communities have died, mostly in Jiribam district.

Manipur has remained roiled in the Meitei-Kuki conflict since May last year in which nearly 240 people have been killed and over 60,000 others displaced. Sporadic incidents of violence have continued despite the presence of a large number of security forces including the army.