Newmai News Network
IMPHAL | September 15
The Manipur unit of National People’s Party (NPP) led by Thangminlien Kipgen on Tuesday accused Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma who is also national President of NPP of trying to coup d'etat the party.
Kipgen, in a press release, alleged that Sangma is trying to “coup d’etat National People’s Party (NPP) from the soil of Manipur for wanting to put his late father PA Sangma as the founder of NPP.”
He was reacting to Sangma’s statement at a press conference on September 13 during his two-day visit to Manipur.
"In fact, NPP, Manipur was founded in the year 1989 with K Brajamani Dev Sharma as founder president, Thangkholet Kipgen as founder vice president and L Shital as founder general secretary", the press release claimed.
The party had won the elections to the Manipur Legislative Assembly in 1990, 1995, 2007 and 2017 and was inducted in the council of ministers.
However, the party was de-recognised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after not fulfilling the minimum requirement in the year 2012, it also said.
The present Manipur Agriculture minister in the BJP-led coalition government V Hangkhalian and Ch Ajang Kohngsai were elected as president and general secretary in 2006 respectively, the press release also said.
The party fielded five candidates in the 2007 general elections to the Manipur Legislative Assembly and three of them got elected. Among them he (Thangminlien Kipgen) was elected as chairman of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of the state Assembly.
According to the press note, on May 5, 2017, the ECI had recognised NPP as a state party in the state of Manipur and book as a reserved symbol under the provision of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
In 2012, late PA Sangma, former Speaker of Lok Sabha and NCP leader by that time, wanted to join the party and placed a request for his enrolment into the party, the press note also said. Accordingly, all the NCP MLAs in Meghalaya and party organisation leaders and workers under his leadership were merged to NPP during the month of August 2012 at Shillong, Meghalaya, the press release further claimed.
Further, his request to lead the party and expand the party throughout the length and breadth of the country as a president was accepted and elected him as national president on September 15, 2012 which Ch Ajang Khongsai as national general secretary cum president of Manipur unit though the party had not fulfilled the required criteria to become a national party.
Kipgen, in the press release, then claimed that he was re-elected as president of the party Manipur unit and had not violated the constitution of the party.
The presidential election of NPP Manipur state unit was held as per schedule under Article No. 22 of the party constitution and after wide publication in the leading local dailies on August 18, 2020 with intimation to the ECI.
He was elected unopposed as president of the state unit of the party, Kipgen stated in the press release while alleging that NPP national president Conrad K Sangma’s DO letter dated August 14, 2020 clearly showed his intention of a coup d’etat of NPP Manipur unit.
