K Meghachandra terms it as ‘crash courses’
Manipur Pradesh Congress (MPCC) president K Meghachandra mocked the recent BJP legislators’ meeting with party national leaders at New Delhi, describing it as “crash courses” and comparing the MLAs to students.
On Sunday, BJP MLAs from Manipur held a close-door meeting with party’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and northeast coordinator Sambit Patra at New Delhi.
More than 30 party MLAs, including those belonging to the two communities –Meitei and Kuki – in conflict, attended the meeting which was convened amid the speculation of mainly discussing the re-installation of the popular government in the state.
However, various sources as well as media reports stated that during the meeting, the party national leaders directed them to be proactive in restoring normalcy and work towards ensuring peace.
Manipur Congress chief K Meghachandra, hurled a sharp criticism to the manner in which the meeting was convened and the agenda that had been reportedly discussed.
He compared the state BJP MLAs to students and they were attending a crash course to justify administrative failure in Manipur.
“Instead of restoring law and order in Manipur, the BJP has reduced its MLAs to students, attending crash courses in Delhi on how to justify administrative failures back home,” he wrote.
Sunday’s close-door meeting between the party legislators and national leaders reportedly began at 4 pm at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
A significant part of the meeting was that legislators from both Meitei and Kuki communities attended it.
Reports said that three rounds of meetings were held with the first and second rounds being separate meetings for Meitei and Naga MLAs, and Kuki MLAs, followed by a joint meeting.
The BJP has four MLAs belonging to the Kuki tribes.
The discussion centred on the peace and progress of Manipur,” the BJP said in a post on X, sharing a photo of the MLAs at the meeting.
In a statement after the meeting, BJP MLA Dinganglung Gangmei said, “I’m delighted to have attended the BJP Manipur Legislature Party meeting, where we explored ways to advance Manipur’s peace and progress alongside esteemed leaders…”
He added that the discussions aimed to strengthen the party’s vision for the region’s development.
On Monday, BJP MLA Radheshyam echoed the same saying that the party legislators, cutting across religious and community lines, met central leaders on Sunday in New Delhi with the primary objective of restoring peace and ensuring development in the state. He told reporters that the foremost priority of the meeting was peace and development for Manipur.
He did not response directly to queries regarding the formation of a popular government and the selection of leadership among BJP MLAs, saying that “some matters are within their control, others are beyond it.
Reiterating that the meeting was for the BJP MLAs only, he said that it primary focused on peace and development for prosperity of Manipur
He asserted that the MLAs’ unity was shown by its MLAs coming together and it marked a positive beginning.
Describing the meeting as a “good beginning”, he said that “there is saying a good beginning is half completed. You understand it.”