Chandramani Singh: Terms and conditions

Imphal, Sept. 3: Differences have cropped up among the three regional parties of Manipur, which have decided to go in for a merger instead of floating a new front.

Leaders of two parties — the Federal Party of Manipur (FPM) and the Democratic Revolutionary People’s Front (DRPP) — had placed the proposal for unification into a front, but have now opted for a merger with the Manipur People’s Party (MPP).

All three parties have chosen to merge since floating a new party would necessitate registration with the Election Commission.

But the FPM and the DRPP are demanding their pound of flesh, which has not gone down well with the MPP.

This is the only hitch in the merger process now: accommodating the leaders of the other two parties in the “strengthened” MPP, the oldest regional force in the state.

The FPM and DRPP have demanded that all MPP office-bearers should resign and frontal and other organisational set-ups dismantled before the formal merger takes place.

“Our party’s federal assembly has decided to dissolve the FPM. We are also ready to join the MPP. The resolutions would be implemented on the condition that the office-bearers of the MPP, including the party president, should step down to pave the way for the unification,” FPM president L. Chandramani Singh said.

Top-rung FPM and DRPP leaders are seeking “proper accommodation” for themselves in the new set-up. “We are ready to make sacrifices for the sake of strengthening regional forces. The MPP should make similar sacrifices,” said DRPP spokesman R.K. Anand.

A party leader said the MPP was yet to discuss the demands made by the FPM and DRPP for dissolution of its frontal organisations as well as resignations of the MPP office-bearers as the other two parties had not formally informed it of their proposal. “We will discuss it after we receive the formal demand,” the party leader said.

MPP president L. Borajao Singh said the preparatory committee would finalise everything very soon.

However, a section of the MPP leadership expressed their reservations on the proposal for resignations of the office-bearers.

The resignation of all office-bearers would spark a constitutional crisis, another senior leader said.