A day after Nongthombam Biren Singh resigned as the Chief Minister of Manipur, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has commenced its search for his successor.
Sambit Patra, the BJP’s in-charge for Manipur, held separate closed-door meetings with each of the party’s MLAs in Imphal on Monday. However, seven BJP MLAs from the Kuki-Zo community were not present. Patra also met with MLAs from the Naga People’s Front, an ally of the BJP, Manipur’s security advisor Kuldiep Singh, and Hill Areas Committee chairperson Dinganglung Gangmei.
Neither Patra nor the MLAs disclosed the details of these one-on-one discussions. Minister for Municipal Administration, Housing, and Urban Development, Yumnam Khemchand, said that their discussions revolved around reconciliation and restoring peace in Manipur. He added that selecting the new Chief Minister is the prerogative of the party’s central leadership.
Efforts to resume peace talks
While the BJP focuses on selecting a new CM, the central government has resumed efforts to initiate peace talks between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
According to sources, Patra has reached out to BJP MLAs from the Kuki community. Additionally, he met with Kuldiep Singh, the Centre’s security in-charge, and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to discuss strategies for conflict resolution. Ten Kuki MLAs, including seven from the BJP, have remained absent from the Assembly since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023. However, BJP leadership has invited them to New Delhi for a meeting on Wednesday.
“The Kuki MLAs are likely to make their stand clear tomorrow after getting an official invitation for talks,” a source said. Previously, they had refused to hold a joint meeting with their Meitei counterparts in New Delhi, with some demanding Biren Singh’s removal.
Following his meeting with Patra, senior BJP minister Y. Khemchand, a contender for the CM’s post, reiterated the party’s commitment to resolving the conflict. ”I will follow whatever decision is taken by the high command in finding a solution and restore peace,” he said.
Kuki-Zo organization advocates for Union Territory
The Committee on Tribal Unity, a Kuki-Zo organization, issued a statement on Monday suggesting that keeping the Assembly under suspended animation or imposing President’s Rule would be a short-sighted move. Instead, it urged the Centre to grant Union Territory status to the Kuki communities as a long-term solution.
Congress MP from Inner Manipur, Bimol Akoijam, highlighted the need for a responsible government. “”The people of Manipur deserve a government that can effectively manage the crisis and put an end to the ongoing statelessness,” he stated.
The conflict, which erupted in May 2023, has led to over 250 deaths and displaced more than 60,000 people. The state remains physically divided, with Meiteis and Kukis avoiding each other’s areas due to fears of fresh violence. Congress MP from Assam, Gaurav Gogoi, emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit Manipur to demonstrate genuine concern for resolving the crisis.
Ng Lun Kipgen, spokesperson for the Committee on Tribal Unity, expressed skepticism about the impact of Biren Singh’s resignation. In an interview with The Indian Express, he stated that Singh’s departure does little to ensure accountability for the ongoing conflict. Kipgen called on the Centre to demonstrate “sincerity to reinstall democratic institutions.”
Manipur Assembly Session declared ‘null and void’
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Manipur’s Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla declared the 7th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly “null and void” with immediate effect.
Biren Singh had resisted calls to resign over his handling of the Meitei-Kuki conflict for months. His resignation came a day before the Assembly’s budget session, where the Congress had planned to introduce a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government. The governor has instructed Singh and his council of ministers to continue until a new government is formed.
Opposition calls Singh’s resignation ‘too little, too late’
Opposition leaders have criticized Singh’s resignation as a delayed response to the ongoing crisis. Many believe he stepped down primarily to avoid facing the no-confidence motion.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “It’s too little, too late. The people of Manipur, his own party leaders, and the opposition have been demanding his resignation for two years, yet violence continued.”
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra described Singh’s tenure as a “shameful chapter” in Manipur’s history. He has not resigned because it was the moral thing to do, he resigned because he did not want to face the humiliation of the no-confidence motion that was bound to succeed,” she told PTI.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor echoed similar sentiments. ”It was overdue. I have no question in my mind that as far as Manipur was concerned, we have been asking to send this chief minister packing for a couple of years now, ever since the violence broke out. His own complicity and feckless mismanagement of the situation became evident,” Tharoor told PTI.
Rajiv Raji of the Samajwadi Party questioned why the Centre waited so long to take action. what were they waiting for the last two years when women were raped and paraded naked? Is the Centre satisfied now after pushing the people into anarchy? A case should be filed against him (Biren Singh),” he told PTI.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas called the delay “unfortunate,” while Azad Samaj Party MP Chandra Shekhar Aazad argued that Singh should have faced legal consequences. “If the Modi government respected women, Singh would have been sacked long ago,” he asserted.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Fauzia Khan urged Prime Minister Modi to visit Manipur to reassure its citizens.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, a leader of the Republican Party of India (Athawale), defended Singh’s decision to step down.
“There has been a strife between Meitei and Kuki communities for the last two years. Many people have died. Now there is peace, yet some incidents have happened. People from the Myanmar border come there. Singh resigned after meeting Amit Shah. I think he resigned thinking it was his responsibility,” Athawale said.
Singh tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Sunday. More than 250 people have been killed, and thousands have been displaced since the ethnic conflict erupted in May 2023. (With inputs from agencies)