Will Biren Singh resign? How Manipur CM is losing support of MLAs and people

It’s been almost three months that the northeastern state of Manipur has been in the grips of violence. Amid this volatile situation, Chief Minister N Biren Singh stood resolute with the support of his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and his alliance members, until now.

Now, the Biren Singh government seems to be on shaky ground, with not only the Kuki community losing faith in him, but also the Meiteis expressing their discontent with him. It now remains to be seen if the chief minister is able to turn around the situation or will he have to step down from his position of power.

A boycott of Biren Singh administration

On Sunday (6 August), the Kuki People’s Alliance, which is an ally of the government in the state, withdrew support to the Biren Singh government. In a letter addressed to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, KPA president Tongmang Haokip wrote: “After careful consideration of the current conflagration, the continued support for the incumbent government of Manipur led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh is no longer fructuous.”

“Accordingly, the support of the KPA to the government of Manipur is hereby withdrawn and can be considered null and void,” the letter further said.

The KPA general secretary, W Lalam Hangshing, told The Print, “We had given outside support, we were never a part of the government. In the present circumstances, it is but natural, and a moral obligation to our Kuki-Zomi brothers and sisters, to withdraw support from the Biren Singh-led government in Manipur.”

He further said, “They did not need us in the first place. It is more of a symbolic stance that we are withdrawing support. And when we have already raised demand for a separate administration, this is the de-facto separation. This decision will have no political implication or effect on the government.”

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Interestingly, the withdrawal of support by the KPA in the 60-member Manipur Assembly doesn’t really impact the dynamics of power. This is because the KPA had only two MLAs in the current administration.

However, it’s not just the KPA that has expressed its discontent with the Manipur government. On Sunday, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) – an umbrella body of several Imphal-based civil society organisations – also announced its decision to boycott the government for its inept handling of the ongoing unrest in the state that has claimed over 160 lives.

COCOMI convener Jeetendra Ningomba said he was disappointed with the government for not heeding to its demand for an emergency assembly session before 5 August to seek a peaceful resolution to the current turmoil. He further explained that COCOMI would not cooperate with any activities initiated by the state government.

Interestingly, COCOMI is made up of several Meitei groups, who until now supported Biren Singh. Their support to Biren Singh was clearly displayed when they urged him not to resign back in the first week of July. In fact, their members had torn up his resignation letter in public view.

VIDEO | Supporters of Manipur CM N Biren Singh block road urging him not to resign. pic.twitter.com/jAZYne5Gvt

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 30, 2023

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Fresh violence in Manipur

Since Saturday, the state has seen a fresh wave of violence in which six people, including a father-son duo, have been killed, and another 16 have been injured. Incidents of arson were also reported from various parts of the northeastern state and officials have said that at least 15 houses have been burnt down.

In Kwakta, a small town in Bishnupur, three were killed, with the police officials saying those responsible for the killings were suspected to be from the Kuki community. This has put the town on edge.

Following this, retaliatory attacks began with armed men reportedly opening fire in Kwakta’s two neighbouring villages, Phoujang and Songdo, which fall in the Churachandpur district, killing two people and injuring a few others.

At the same time, one other person was killed in Terakhongsangbi in Bishnupur.

In the wake of renewed violence, the district administration has clamped curfew from 10.30 am in the twin Imphal districts. “Instead of curfew relaxation from 5 am to 6 pm in the twin Imphal districts, it has now been shortened to 5 am to 10.30 am,” an official said.

Moreover, additional troops of central paramilitary forces have been deployed to the state. Sources were quoted as telling Imphal Free Press that at least 10 companies of CAPF drawn from BSF, ITBP and CRPF are expected in the latest reinforcement.

Unrest in Manipur

The violence in Manipur began back on 3 May and ever since then has refused to quell, raising fears that the peace in the entire northeastern area could be disrupted. The worst of the violence came on 19 July when a video surfaced on social media platforms showing two Kuki women being stripped and paraded by a mob.

The situation became so severe that even the Supreme Court intervened in the matter and expressed concern over the incident. Since the video surfaced, Manipur Police has suspended five police personnel including the station incharge of the area. The state police has also ordered a time-bound inquiry under an Inspector General of Police to probe events leading to the looting of an armoury on 3 August in Bishnupur.

According to some, the situation in Manipur is reminiscent of a civil war; people have been burnt out of their homes, villages are raked with gunfire, and men, women and children are beaten by angry mobs.

At the crux of the matter is the demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community and the Kuki tribe opposing it.

The unrest in the state has also rocked Parliament with proceedings being disrupted daily. So much so, that the Opposition alliance, INDIA, has also called for a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his poor handling of the situation. The debate on the no-trust motion will begin on 8 August (Tuesday) and the PM will respond to it on 10 August (Thursday).

It is left to be seen if peace returns to the area, but if the current conditions persist, it remains almost impossible for calm to return to the area.

With inputs from agencies