Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Manipur political crisis will be resolved in the next two to three days in the spirit of the NEDA’s and the NDA’s principles.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has exuded confidence that the political crisis that has rocked Manipur will be resolved in the next couple of days. The BJP had deployed Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to Manipur to rescue the BJP-led N Biren Singh government that plunged into crisis following resignation by three BJP MLAs and withdrawal of support by six supporting MLAs (including four ministers of the National People’s Party).

The development, however, didn’t hurt the BJP’s prospects in the Rajya Sabha election as the ruling alliance secured the minimum required votes to ensure its candidate’s victory.

Speaking to reporters on Monday in Guwahati, Sarma said that the turmoil will be resolved in the next two to three days in the spirit of the NEDA’s and the NDA’s principles. Sarma is also the convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) which is the NDA’s version in the region.

“Things are very much under control and there is nothing to worry. We will resolve the issue in the next two or three days in the spirit of NEDA and NDA (National Democratic Alliance) principles,” Sarma said.

“We are consulting our MLAs and all discussions are taking place in a positive manner,” he added.

To a question if the BJP-led alliance will comprise of the same parties as before, he said after the Rajya Sabha elections and the disqualification of MLAs by the Speaker, “the architecture may be different but the spirit of NEDA and NDA will be there”.

One of the former NPP ministers claimed that Sarma had on Sunday exerted pressure on them to revoke their decision to quit the ruling coalition but they did not succumb to it.

Earlier on Sunday, Sarma during his Imphal visit held a meeting with the four ministers who quit the Biren Singh government. “Himanta requested a lot but we clearly told him about our stand and he accepted it,” NPP MLA L Jayantakumar said.

The NPP has, however, said that it is ready for fresh talks saying a solution to the crisis is possible if the attitude of the BJP-led government towards coalition partners changes.

“The leadership must ensure that opinions of members of coalition partners are invited before taking major decisions,” National People’s Party’s (NPP) Manipur unit chief Thangminlien Kipgen said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has claimed that NPP MLAs will not support any BJP-headed minority government even if the chief minister is replaced. The party reiterated its demand for a floor test.