A. Sharda Devi, the president of Manipur’s Bharatiya Janata Party unit. Photo: X/@ANI
A. Sharda Devi, the president of Manipur’s Bharatiya Janata Party unit claimed internal differences did not lead to Nongthombam Biren Singh’s resignation as the Chief Minister of the State.
Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla asked Mr Singh to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister after the latter tendered his resignation at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday (February 9, 2025), a little more than 21 months after an ethnic conflict broke out between the tribal Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities on May 3, 2023.
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“The Chief Minister resigned for the people of Manipur, keeping the State’s future in mind after requesting the Centre to safeguard the integrity of Manipur and ensure the safety of its citizens,” she said hours after Mr Singh submitted his resignation.
“There were no differences among the BJP legislators,” she asserted.
It is believed that Mr Singh’s move, on the advice of the BJP’s central leadership, followed a decision to let a new set of leaders handle the challenges Manipur faces, after months of violence that has claimed at least 250 lives and displaced some 60,000 people.
On Sunday night, former MP and Naga People’s Front (NPF) leader Lorho S. Pfoze said the political turmoil and stagnation in Manipur was due to a lack of effective governance. He said Mr Singh was seen as an efficient leader but the minority Kuki-Zo people increasingly felt alienated.
The NPF is an ally of the BJP.
“The prolonged unrest has hit developmental activities hard and the State witnessed a significant administrative decline. Manipur needs a more effective administration and a renewed focus on development,” he said.
Self-rule demand
The Kuki-Zo Council, the apex body of Kuki-Zo communities, said the resignation of Mr. Singh as the Chief Minister makes no difference to their demand for a separate administration.
“So much blood has been shed that a political solution is the only way out. The ethnic division is too deep for us to go back on the demand for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people,” Ginza Vualzong, the council’s spokesperson said.
Since the ethnic conflict broke out, the Kuki-Zo people have kept away from the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley. Likewise, the Meiteis have avoided the peripheral hills where the Kuki-Zo people are in the majority.
The two communities involved in the conflict, contained for about three months now, have been driven out of each other’s territory.
Published – February 10, 2025 12:03 pm IST
