Enemies in Delhi, friends in Manipur

Though CPI general secretary AB Bardhan accuses the Congress of horsetrading at the Centre, he wants his partymen in Manipur to remain in the Congress-led coalition in the state.

Bardhan has asked P Parijat, a CPI national executive member and Manipur's Health Minister in the Congress-led coalition Secular Progressive Front government not to withdraw support to Chief Minister O. Ibobi. Bardhan has told his comrade to "maintain the relationship on local issues".

This was stated to the local media here by Parijat, who met Bardhan at a two-day national executive meeting of the party in New Delhi recently.

The Congress and the CPI joined hands on 'local issues' to form the SPF in Manipur in 2002, two years before the UPA came to power at the Centre. The Congress has 31 MLAs in the assembly while CPI has four in the House of 60.

Meanwhile, the Manipur Pradesh Samajwadi Party unanimously decided to disband the state unit following a general body meeting at the residence of state party president and former Speaker Sapam Dhananjoy. The meet also condemned the decision of SP national president Mulayam Singh Yadav to support the UPA government.

The BSP, Telegu Desam Party, AGP and even the Nagaland People's Front have announced that they would support the Left parties’ stand against the Manmohan Singh government in the confidence vote on July 22.