Four of the legislators who skipped Monday’s meeting of NDA MLAs called in Imphal by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh have questioned the intent behind it, dismissing it as an “image-building exercise” at a time that the state government is battling a crisis of confidence.

Pointing out that the stated agenda of the meeting was “to review the developing law and order situation in the state”, a senior MLA of the ruling BJP said: “The CM should have called a meeting with the Unified Command, including the DGP, Security Advisor, the CRPF and Assam Rifles IGs, and the Chief Secretary. What is a meeting of MLAs supposed to achieve in this?”

The resolution passed at the meeting had “nothing to do with law and order”, the senior BJP MLA added. “The only focus needs to be on bringing back peace, and this had nothing to do with that.”

The resolution sought “mass operations against Kuki militants responsible for” the November 11 abduction and killing of six Meitei women and children from Jiribam. It also urged the Centre to “review the imposition of AFSPA” in six police stations areas of the valley, adding that if the demands were “not implemented within the specified period, the NDA legislators will decide the future course of action in consultation with the people”.

Another BJP MLA who did not attend the meeting hit out at Biren Singh, saying: “His intention is not good. That’s why the crisis is continuing. It can only be solved through conversation between both sides.”

The MLA added: “We have attended many such meetings called by the CM since the start of the conflict… We are called, sit together, photos are taken, signatures are collected and the photos are taken to Delhi. But we are never asked for proposals or suggestions. That is why we didn’t attend. If the Speaker as the Leader of the House calls a meeting of the legislators, we will go. Just the previous day, a Cabinet meeting had been held. After that, what was the purpose of this?”

The Speaker, Th Satyabrata Singh, incidentally was among those who did not attend the meeting, though he reportedly informed about it in advance.

Yet another BJP MLA who stayed away questioned the idea behind releasing lists of the MLAs who were not present at the meeting, and specifying who had done so after informing and those who had not.

“His (Biren Singh’s) position is insecure, and this shows it. Sharing the meeting resolution is one thing. But to whom is he explaining that who came, who was absent, who took leave, as if we are schoolchildren,” the MLA said.

He also questioned the claim that notices had been issued to the legislators who remained absent without informing, saying he had not received the same. “The claim… is some kind of threat to dissidents within who have been saying we need a Chief Minister of Manipur, not of Meiteis,” said the MLA.

Soon after the meeting concluded Monday, a handout was released containing the resolution passed at the meeting as well as the names and signatures of 26 MLAs – not including Biren Singh – who purportedly attended the meeting. Two additional lists contained the names of 18 MLAs who were not present at the meeting.

Of this, one contained the names of seven MLAs who the notification said had informed through “formal application” or on “medical grounds” that they would not be able to attend the meeting. This list had three BJP MLAs, including the Manipur Speaker, plus a legislator each of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the JD(U), and two MLAs belonging to the National People’s Party (NPP). Earlier this week, the NPP announced withdrawal of support to the BJP government in Manipur.

The other list was of 11 MLAs who reportedly skipped the meeting without any reason, and to whom the government claims it has issued notices. They are all MLAs belonging to the Meitei-dominated valley areas of Manipur, including nine legislators of the BJP (one of them minister Yumnam Khemchand), one Independent and one from the NPP.

The four who spoke to The Indian Express and who said they had not received any notices belong to this list of 11. There are also questions about whether 26 MLAs attended the meeting, as claimed by the list put out with their names and signatures. The offices of at least two of the 26 told The Indian Express that they were not present.

One of these MLAs said: “When I received the notification regarding the meeting on November 17, I verbally conveyed that I will be there. However, because of personal problems, I was not able to attend.”

The MLA could not say how his signature figured in the list of those present. A source close to the Chief Minister’s Office downplayed this, pointing out that the MLAs had not contested “the use of their signatures”. The source added: “Even if, say, the Chief Secretary is out of station, a scanned copy of his signature is used with his consent.”

Monday’s meeting was seen as a show of strength by Biren Singh, a day after the NPP said it was withdrawing support to his government over “failure” to resolve the Manipur crisis. Counting the NPP, 45 NDA MLAs were expected to attend – 30 of the BJP, five of the NPF, one of the JD(U), two Independents backing the NDA and seven NPP MLAs.

The BJP has seven more MLAs, but they are Kuki-Zomis and have not been coming for meetings with Biren Singh. While just 26 turned up, counting the eight who reportedly gave reasons to stay away, the Biren Singh government has a majority in the 60-member Assembly.