N Biren Singh resigns as Manipur Chief Minister

Pic/PTI

Amidst rumblings within the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking a change of leadership in strife-torn Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

The governor accepted Singh's resignation, along with that of his council of ministers, and requested that he continue in office until alternative arrangements are made.

The resignation comes just hours after Singh returned from Delhi and following 21 months of ethnic violence that has shaken the state since May 2023.

The Opposition had been demanding his resignation for long. The Congress was prompt to react that the resignation was "belated" and said people of the state were now awaiting a visit by "our frequent-flier Prime Minister" Narendra Modi.

Earlier this week, a new controversy erupted after the Supreme Court sought a sealed-cover forensic report on the authenticity of leaked audio clips alleging the role of Singh in the ethnic violence.

The tapes reportedly included conversations where Singh allegedly suggested that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition from the Manipur government during the unrest, which has so far claimed 250 lives.

In his resignation letter, Singh said, "It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far. I am extremely grateful to the Central government for time actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interests of every single Manipuri."

"My sincere request to the Central government through your good office is to continue with the same. I take the opportunity to enumerate the most important ones of them ... To maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur which has a rich and diverse civilizational history over thousands of years," the letter added.

Singh in his resignation letter also requested the Centre to continue the "crackdown on border infiltration and to formulate policy for the deportation of the illegal immigrants and the fight against drugs and narco terrorism."

On Saturday, he convened a meeting with BJP-led ruling alliance Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) at the CM Secretariat. The meeting was held in the wake of the opposition Congress seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the government led by Singh during the Assembly session starting Monday.

It was not immediately clear whether the BJP will appoint a new CM. Top BJP leader Sambit Patra is camping in Manipur.

BJP sources on the other side expressed hope that his resignation will help boost the efforts being helmed by the Centre to broker peace between the two main ethnic communities in the state.

Noting that former home secretary Ajay Bhalla was appointed the state's governor in December last with an apparent aim to accelerate peace and security measures, they said Singh's resignation will help the process and convey the Centre's sincerity in bridging the ethnic divide.

A source said that Singh was also losing support among BJP MLAs, many of whom have met party leaders in Delhi to convey their unhappiness with his continuation.

The state Assembly session is scheduled to begin on February 10, and there was concern that some party MLAs might embarrass the government by targeting their own leadership.

In his letter to the governor, the CM also urged the central government "to continue the stringent and fool-proof revised mechanism of Free Movement Regime (FMR) with the biometric being stringently applied time bound and faster border which is underway."

Meanwhile, state BJP president A Sharda said: "We are yet to receive further instructions from the party." She asserted that Singh worked tirelessly for the development and integrity of the state.

"He has been trying to bring peace in the state since the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023. The BJP will continue to work hard for the integrity of the state," Sharda added.

On February 3, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar sought a report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) within six weeks and posted the plea by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) on March 24.

KOHUR, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, sought a court-monitored SIT probe into the alleged role of the chief minister in the ethnic violence.

Bhushan, however, termed the contents of the audio leaks a "very serious matter" and said in the clips the chief minister was purportedly saying that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition of the state government.

The Kuki organisation's plea alleged the chief minister of Manipur was instrumental in "inciting, organising and thereafter centrally orchestrating the large-scale murder, destruction and other forms of violence against the Kuki dominated areas in Manipur.

More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023.

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