Day after meeting with Manipur CM where MLAs spoke their mind, 7 land in Delhi to press Centre for ‘solution’

In the midst of the ongoing Parliament session, a group of NDA MLAs from Manipur arrived in Delhi on Friday to press the central leadership for a resolution to the ongoing ethnic strife in the state, The Indian Express has learnt.

According to official sources, at least seven MLAs from the BJP and its ally Naga People’s Front arrived in the national capital on Friday. This comes a day after Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh chaired a meeting with NDA MLAs — barring 10 Kuki-Zomi legislators — which he said was to “deliberate on the current situation in Manipur”. Those in attendance included MLAs from the BJP, NPF, NPP and JDU.

Sources said several MLAs expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the crisis, and conveyed the pressure they were feeling from the public. The crisis in Manipur began nearly 14 months ago, in May 2023.

One of the BJP MLAs who reached Delhi on Friday, K Ibomcha Singh, who is also the Manipur BJP spokesperson, said the legislators had come to pay a “courtesy call” to the central leadership.

“Yesterday, we had a meeting of NDA MLAs chaired by the Chief Minister, and in that we decided to meet the Prime Minister, Home Minister and other senior leaders as a courtesy call and to register a fresh request to bring an honourable solution to the problem in the state. Some others will come tomorrow. Others, including the Chief Minister, will come later after we get an appointment,” he said.

“The Manipur issue is included in the 100-day programme for the new central government, so we have decided to pursue the central leaders to bring a solution as it is included in the priority list,” he said.

The movement of MLAs to Delhi sparked speculation on whether there is trouble brewing for the state government.