Political turmoil has intensified in Manipur with the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. He recently visited the Governor along with BJP MP Sambit Patra, ministers, and legislators, at Raj Bhavan. Prior to this decisive step, Singh had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed all security agencies to remain on high alert. N. Biren Singh resigned from the CM post before the no-confidence motion that was scheduled for Monday in the assembly.
Source: aajtak
For a long time, there has been discontent among BJP legislators regarding Biren Singh. Last October, 19 BJP legislators from Manipur demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove N. Biren Singh from his position. Among those who signed the letter were Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyavrat Singh, Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh, and Yumnam Khemchand Singh. The letter mentioned that people in Manipur are questioning the BJP government about the delay in restoring peace in the state. If a solution isn't found soon, there are demands for the resignation of the legislators as well.
Opposition Targeted Biren Singh
There was strong discontent against Biren Singh due to ethnic violence in the state. Before the angry legislators' letter, he had outright refused to step down, stating, 'Why should I resign? Have I stolen anything? Is there any accusation of corruption against me? Have I acted against the nation or state?' Biren Singh was also a target of the opposition regarding ethnic violence. Kukis accused him of favoring the Meitei community during the ethnic conflict.
Violence persisted for two years in Manipur
It is worth noting that violence had been a significant issue in Manipur for a prolonged period. There were repeated violent clashes due to rising tension between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which resulted in numerous casualties and forced thousands to leave their homes. The disagreement over land, reservation, and political representation between the Meitei and Kuki communities has been longstanding. Amidst this, one community accused the state government of biased behavior. In the past months, large-scale clashes have occurred, resulting in casualties, prompting the central government to deploy additional security forces to control the situation.
