Internal tensions within the National People’s Party escalated after national president Conrad Sangma announced the appointment of Dr. De Lorho S. Pfoze as the new head of the Manipur state unit. The move has been sharply opposed by NPP national vice president and former Manipur president Yumnam Joykumar Singh, who said the decision came as a surprise immediately after the Manipur team returned from Shillong.
Joykumar revealed that the delegation had met senior party leaders in Shillong, where they raised several sensitive political issues relating to Manipur — including the state’s territorial integrity, the push for Sixth Schedule status by hill tribes, and concerns over delimitation. According to him, the party leadership was asked to clarify its position on these matters, and Manipur’s stance remains firm that its integrity is non-negotiable and Sixth Schedule provisions are unacceptable.
Dr. Pfoze joined the NPP only months ago and previously represented Outer Manipur in Parliament as a member of the Nagaland-based NPF. Despite the NPP being the second-largest party in the Manipur Legislative Assembly with seven MLAs, Joykumar suggested the leadership reshuffle could weaken rather than strengthen the organisation. He speculated that the decision may also be linked to a recently released documentary that revisits the formation of the NPP in Manipur in 1987 by N. Ibomcha.
The party’s Manipur unit has not yet decided its formal course of action, but Joykumar maintained that the public will ultimately determine whether the central leadership’s decision benefits or harms the state. He asserted that this is the moment for the people to safeguard themselves from decisions that run counter to their interests.
