Peace prerequisite for govt formation: Manipur BJP MLA after meeting with central leaders

Imphal, Dec 16 (PTI) Stating that the meeting of Manipur BJP legislators with the party's central leadership in Delhi was fruitful, MLA Tongbram Robindro on Tuesday asserted peace was a prerequisite for the formation of a government in the state.

Tongbram was speaking to reporters after returning from the national capital, where two senior BJP leaders held a long meeting with party legislators from the Northeastern state, which has been under the President's Rule for the last 10 months.

"We had a fruitful meeting with the central leadership. The main agenda was the welfare of the people. The government will and has to come. But there has to be peace first. I cannot say the definite timeline, but the government will be formed," he said.

"We are all human beings and have to live together. Whatever mistakes have been committed, we have to forgive each other and forget," said the Thanga MLA.

BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh and its Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra met the MLAs from Manipur on Sunday, with legislators from both warring communities -- Meitei and Kuki -- under one roof.

MLA Heikham Dingo said, "We discussed how to bring peace. Continued dialogue with the Centre would lead to positive outcomes for the people." The two central leaders are believed to have asked the Meitei and Kuki MLAs to jointly work for bridging gaps between the two communities so that a lasting peace could be established in Manipur, sources said.

Thirty-four BJP MLAs from the state, including former CM N Biren Singh and Speaker Th Satyabrata Singh, attended the meeting in Delhi, they said.

Among the seven BJP MLAs from the Kuki community, four participated in the meeting while three Kuki MLAs could not attend, apparently due to some "unavoidable reasons", they added. PTI CORR SOM