Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 14, 2010:
The hitherto dormant issue of reshuffle in the Council of Ministers of the Secular Progressive Front (SPF) government led by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi appears to have re-awakened.
Chief Minister Ibobi, who had attended the internal security meeting of all the Chief Ministers presided by Prime Minister Dr Manmohon Singh in New Delhi on February 7 and had returned to Imphal the next day, has left Imphal in a hurry for Delhi today.
Ministerial sources informed this newspaper that the Chief Minister's visit to Delhi this time is not an official visit.
It could be a visit of personal business.
However, since the Chief Minister of a state visits the capital city of the country, it would be natural for him to meet one or some of the Central leaders.
Another source said, some of the MLAs, who were assured of being inducted in the Council of Ministers by the Chief Minister some time back, have now started grumbling.
They have begun giving pressure to the Chief Minister to translate his assurances into reality, the source said.
However, there is no report, as of now, of the MLAs, who are waiting for the Ministerial berths, getting together to protest and organise a dissident camp.
Yet these MLAs are said to be putting strong pressure on the Chief Minister to translate the assurances he had given into action, the source said.
In the meanwhile, the Minister of Commerce & Industry, FCS and Co-Operation, Y Irabot is reported to have frequented Delhi in January and this month on several occasions and met Congress leaders there.
It is understood that the Chief Minister has all the information about Irabot's frequent visits to Delhi and who he met there.
Therefore, Minister Irabot's frequent visits to Delhi has caused uneasy concerns among the Ministers here, the source revealed.