Manipur BJP to hold meeting amid signs of widening rift within party

Amid indications of a widening rift within the BJP’s Manipur unit where three MLAs have resigned from administrative posts within a fortnight, the state’s ruling party will hold a meeting on April 21 to discuss the development.

This comes after BJP MLA Paonam Brojen resigned as chairman of the Manipur Development Society for "personal grounds." The meeting was announced shortly after this resignation was made public.

"A meeting has been set for 11 a.m. on Friday." Top state BJP leaders, including lawmakers, are scheduled to attend the meeting, according to a party source. 

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The state's governing party will host a meeting on Friday to review the situation, according to sources here, amid signs of a growing schism inside the BJP's Manipur branch, where three MLAs have resigned from administrative jobs in the last two weeks. Paonam Brojen, a BJP MLA, became the third member to resign on Thursday. 

On April 8, another MLA, Thokchom Radheshyaam, resigned as the chief minister's advisor, claiming a similar grievance. Khwairakpam Raghumani, the fourth MLA, has filed a case with the state police against the head of the state BJP Minority Morcha, Asker Ali, over a Facebook post that the lawmaker perceived as a "threat" to his life. 

Ali purportedly commented on the four MLAs' decision to question the BJP's senior leadership, saying, "Let this be the last trip to Delhi" in Manipuri. 

Raghumani alleged in his complaint that Ali "has issued this statement while I am away in Delhi and he seems to be threatening that this will be my last trip to Delhi or anywhere."