Imphal: Manipur Congress President Govindas Konthoujam has reportedly submitted his resignation and some other Congress MLAs were also rumoured to be toying the idea of leaving the party.
Manipur Congress leaders, however, refuted the news which had been circulating in some sections of the media.
Congress Spokesperson N Bupenda Meitei said as directed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, AICC in charge of Manipur, Bhakta Charan Das, former Union Minister, will arrive in Imphal tomorrow to meet with senior leaders of the party in Manipur.
He said Congress President Sonia Gandhi was well aware of the developments in the state and was deeply concerned for the future of better Manipur.
Names of two Congress MLAs were mentioned in some media reports but they refuted the news. The Congress party which won 28 seats in the 2017 Assembly elections has now 17 MLAs. Political speculations of possible horse-trading were doing the round as 11 ruling MLAs are facing a case in the Supreme Court for holding the office of profit.
Reports said that MPCC president Govindas had resigned as party state chief on July 16.
Even though there are no confirmed reasons for his resignation, party insiders told The North East Affairs that he had certain issues with CLP leader, former Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, for some time now regarding the selection of candidates for the upcoming general election and also lack of financial resources.
Govindas had been urging the Central leadership to hand over the leadership role of CLP to him but has been denied all along and at the same time, it was alleged O Ibobi hasn’t been cooperative with the functioning of party affairs, a Congress leader who wants to remain anonymous said.
A party leader who wished not to be identified also disclosed that a few party MLAs were in fact trying to either form a new political outfit or joined the ruling party for the last few months. Few of them were even supposed to join the saffron party last week, but it didn’t materailise as few ministers in the present government strongly opposed their joining the party and giving them ministerial portfolios. With agency inputs
