Nipamacha may pull out of NDA

IMPHAL, February 10: The ruling Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) has threatened to withdraw from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. Sources said MSCP's legislature wing decided to pull out of the NDA last night in protest against remarks made by BJP national secretary (in-charge of Manipur) P.B. Acharya and Samata Party national president Jaya Jaitley favouring President's rule in the state. The legislature wing's decision is yet to be referred to the party level. The formal decision of pulling out from the NDA has to be taken by the party. Loyalists of Chief Minister Nipamacha Singh said the decision of the legislature wing will be sent to the party's central executive for ratification. There was a possibility of a split in the party over the issue late tonight. The decision of the legislature wing was taken at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister last night. The MSCP, along with the Samata Party and the BJP, are the constituents of the NDA at the national level. The move is likely to have a serious impact on the MSCP and the party seems to be on the verge of a split. MSCP's working president Thounaojam Chaoba Singh is now the Union minister of state for food processing. A bitter rival of the Chief Minister, Chaoba Singh is expected here tomorrow. Sources said there was a sharp division between the MSCP's legislature wing and the party organisation. While party president Nipamacha Singh commands a majority in the legislature wing, Chaoba Singh has more supporters in the central executive - the party's highest decision making body. When contacted, a senior party functionary loyal to Chaoba Singh said the party was yet to know the formal decision of the legislature wing. He said the party has not discussed the matter of withdrawing from the NDA and added that they have learnt about the legislature wing's decision from local mediapersons. A showdown between Nipamacha loyalists and Chaoba supporters is likely tomorrow, sources said. The latest round of problems in the MSCP surfaced after Jaitley and Acharya, in separate Press conferences here on Thursday, charged Nipamacha Singh with confining all the ruling ministers and legislators at his official residence since November 15 last year.