Cong. furious as BJP minces words on Manipur

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 29. Political realignments in Manipur today left the Congress fuming as 10 of its 11 MLAs shifted loyalties even as the Bharatiya Janata Party did not deny the possibility of forming a ``friendly'' alternative Government.

The Congress on Thursday lost a majority of its MLAs who broke ranks to form the Manipur Regional Congress Party and decided to join hands with the BJP with five other parties to form the Manipur Democratic Front.

The Congress charged that the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre had resorted to ``horse-trading'' to break the

Nipamacha Singh Government. It now felt that consultations by the Vajpayee Government on bringing the State under Central rule was a camouflage.

``We apprehend that the Government was buying time to engineer defections,'' the Congress spokesman, Mr. Prithviraj Chavan, said at the party briefing in the context of the Government holding talks with the Congress on the imposition of President's rule in Manipur.

The Congress had suggested that the Government get back after discussing the matter with other political parties while acknowledging that the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, had spoken to the party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, and the Home Ministry officials had briefed Mr. Pranab Mukhejree.

Mr. Chavan said it was for the Government to take a decision on the imposition of President's rule and charged that after initial contact on December 16, it never got back even though Parliament was in session.

In any case, since many NDA allies like the DMK, the TDP and the Akali Dal were opposed to Article 356 of the Constitution (which empowers the President to impose Central rule in a State), it was for the Government to decide.

The Congress also questioned the move at a time when a no- confidence motion was admitted in the Assembly. It said the floor of the House was the right place to test the majority and questioned the Speaker's move to adjourn the House sine die.

Mr. Chavan said the Governor could have perhaps played a role in ensuring that the session continued and the motion taken to its logical conclusion.

On the other hand, the BJP vice-president, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthy, said the party was awaiting latest reports from Manipur and asserted that it had asked for the imposition of President's rule since the Government in Imphal was non- functional on account of political instability.

Replying to queries on whether the party had now given up the demand, visualising the possibility of a `BJP-friendly' Government, Mr. Krishnamurthy preferred to say that the party was awaiting reports as there was no clarity on the situation.

No threat to Ministry, says CM

By Our Correspondent

IMPHAL, DEC. 29. The seven Opposition parties in Manipur, which are 24-strong in the 60-member House, have formed the Manipur Democratic Front (MDF) in their latest bid to wrest power from the United Front (UF) Ministry led by Mr. W. Nipamacha. The UF has 35 members and enjoys the support of an independent MLA. For the time being, Mr. Rishang Keishing, the only MLA left in the Congress, has not joined the MDF. Talking to TheHindu this morning, Mr. Keishing said he was yet to receive an official report from 10 Congress MLAs, including the CLP leader, Mr. Radhabinod Koijam, who reportedly formed the Manipur Regional Congress Party (MRCP) after splitting the 11- member Congress. He also said that before the formation of the MRCP, all 11 MLAs held a meeting in his residence to take stock of the situation. They sent a fax message to the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, urging her to review the party stand not to support the imposition of President's rule in Manipur as all sections welcomed a short spell of such rule.

In a telephonic interview, the Chief Minister, Mr. Nipamacha, said that the formation of the MDF would not rock his boat simply because their strength had not increased. It would be a negation of the Constitution if the 35-member UF Ministry was ousted to allow the 24-member MDF in the formation of an alternative ministry. Referring to the loud thinking by the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, that President's rule may be imposed in view of the ``alarming situation'', Mr. Nipamacha said he had held talks with some Central leaders. More recently, he met the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, at Guwahati on the occasion of the inauguration of the 24-hour TV channel for the Northeastern States. He claimed she had assured him that President's rule would not be imposed in Manipur since it was not a solution to the burning problems. Besides, the Congress was against it. As the NDA did not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha, the NDA would be forced to retreat it. Mr. Nipamacha said all his supporters were with him.

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