SHILLONG, Dec 1: The National People’s Party (NPP) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making threats to disrupt the stability of the MDA coalition by recalling its support to the NPP-led coalition.
Cabinet Minister and NPP leader Rakkam A Sangma asked BJP vice president and Tura MDC Bernard N Marak to read the Constitution well on government formation before indirectly threatening that the state government will fall without the support of the saffron party which has two MLAs in the 60-member House.
“I think he does not know the number. We need 31 to form the government and we have more than 45 MLAs in the coalition. He should read the Constitution well,” Rakkam said, adding, “Two BJP MLAs do not matter much to us.”
The BJP does not think that the NPP will repeat the Manipur instance of severing ties with the saffron party. The BJP said without it, the MDA government will collapse.
Stating that the NPP’s withdrawal of support to the BJP-led government in Manipur is a strong message that it wants a solution to the present crisis there, Sangma said, “The decision had nothing to do with elections. It was about Manipur. Lives are being lost and it is incorrect. We had to give a strong message that we want a solution.”
He further stated that the NPP leadership had sent a strong message that violence should end. The Manipur issue is more important than politics, he added.
