The beleaguered Radhabinod Koijam ministry faced fresh trouble, on Monday, with five ministers of Manipur State Congress Party (Chaoba), resigning and five MLAs of that party deciding to vote against the confidence motion in the assembly. BJP is yet to issue a whip in support of the government. Ahead of the House meeting to discuss the confidence motion, the five ministers - horticulture minister M Hemanta Singh, rural development minister Bira Singh, social welfare minister Songchinkhup, fisheries minister S Bira and revenue minister Sanayaima Singh - resigned.

The Samata Party, a constituent of the NDA, has said it will review its participation in the Vajpayee government if the BJP did not support Koijam ministry. The ten MSCP (Chaoba) members, including five MLAs, have decided to vote against the motion as BJP has not given any directive to its state leadership to issue a whip to party MLAs in the state, a spokesman of the MSCP(C) said.
``Since the major partner of the National Democratic Alliance did not want to support the Samata Party-led Manipur ministry, we also decided to follow the steps of the BJP,`` he said adding the decision was taken Monday morning. He said agriculture minister Thangminlien Kipgen, who had been disqualified from membership of the House, has also tendered his resignation from the Koijam ministry, and was likely to attend the house since his resignation was not yet accepted.

Kipgen, however, had been debarred from voting in the House by the speaker earlier.
Bureau Report