Fast political developments CM in Delhi to meet Shah
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Things are moving fast, very fast. Chief Minister N Biren has been summoned to New Delhi by none less than Union Home Minister Amit Shah. So in a way this means that the man in Delhi has thrown open his door to the Chief Minister after months. Ironic it may sound, but the one line demand of many, particularly the Congress, is for the Chief Minister to proceed to Delhi and meet the Central leaders since they all belong to the same political party. Now this has come about, not at the insistence of Imphal, but by way of a ‘summon’ and in all likelihood this cannot be an invite for a cup of tea. This is what has set tongues wagging and while no one seems to know what will follow in the next few days, it is significant to note that talks are already doing the round that at least three Ministers and four MLAs, all believed to be close to the Chief Minister, have lined up a chartered flight to proceed to Delhi via a visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela. Again it is not clear whether the three Ministers and the four MLAs are included in the invite list of the Union Home Minister but this should say something significant about the ‘break neck’ speed of the development in less than 24 hours. Many would also not have missed the fact that the Chief Minister was called by Amit Shah even as talks had started doing the round of a no-confidence motion being lined up once the Assembly session starts on February 10. And it is at this point of time that earlier Assembly Speaker Th Satyabrata was called to Delhi followed closely by RD and PR Minister Yumnam Khemchand. That Khemchand has been vocal and even spoken out his mind against the conduct of the Chief Minister went to add more substance and muscle to the talks doing the round of an impending no-confidence motion in the Assembly. Again it is without precedence to see the Union Home Minister summoning one leader after the other of the ruling party and topping this off with the summon of the Chief Minister. All these taken together are sure to set tongues wagging and numerous ‘political pundits’ have started chipping in with their bits of observation and reading of the situation. How things unfold in the next 24/48 hours is still a matter of speculation, but it is more than clear that not everything is right within the ruling BJP in Manipur and the Centre has taken the talk of a no-confidence motion seriously, very seriously.
The Maths says it all. With 32 MLAs, plus the support of the NPF with five MLAs, the saffron party is comfortably placed and so what is it that is troubling Delhi in the face of a looming no-confidence motion ? The answer should be obvious to everyone and this is precisely the reason why the developments in the last two or three days have kicked up so much interests amongst the keen political observers. It should also be kept in mind that summoning the Chief Minister for a ‘talk’ even as a no trust motion appears lined up, is not common. Manipur may be said to have experienced this earlier, decades back, but a look back at the recent and not so recent past, can say so many things, so the talks doing the round ending like a case of much ado about nothing is something that cannot be written off entirely. Whatever the case, the lesson for Manipur to learn should not blow over. It was not so long back, that is before Manipur went up in flames on May 3, 2023, that everything that had to do with Delhi and Imphal were highlighted in all its glory, letting people forget that political honeymoon of any sort can be extremely shortlived. It is also time for the people to acknowledge that the edge of the seat political drama that is being enacted right now before the eyes of everyone could be a fallout of taking everything for granted. For the moment, all eyes and ears will be on Delhi and speculations will continue to do the round, till the final say is announced, but one would need to think hard to say whether the ‘final say’ will be in the interest of Manipur or not.
The Maths says it all. With 32 MLAs, plus the support of the NPF with five MLAs, the saffron party is comfortably placed and so what is it that is troubling Delhi in the face of a looming no-confidence motion ? The answer should be obvious to everyone and this is precisely the reason why the developments in the last two or three days have kicked up so much interests amongst the keen political observers. It should also be kept in mind that summoning the Chief Minister for a ‘talk’ even as a no trust motion appears lined up, is not common. Manipur may be said to have experienced this earlier, decades back, but a look back at the recent and not so recent past, can say so many things, so the talks doing the round ending like a case of much ado about nothing is something that cannot be written off entirely. Whatever the case, the lesson for Manipur to learn should not blow over. It was not so long back, that is before Manipur went up in flames on May 3, 2023, that everything that had to do with Delhi and Imphal were highlighted in all its glory, letting people forget that political honeymoon of any sort can be extremely shortlived. It is also time for the people to acknowledge that the edge of the seat political drama that is being enacted right now before the eyes of everyone could be a fallout of taking everything for granted. For the moment, all eyes and ears will be on Delhi and speculations will continue to do the round, till the final say is announced, but one would need to think hard to say whether the ‘final say’ will be in the interest of Manipur or not.