Leaked Document Says Manipur MLAs Want Change Of Guard

Memorandum by Manipur MLAs seeks replacement of incumbent CM Biren Singh in view of ongoing conflict that claimed lives of 220 civilians since May 2023.

Guwahati:At least 19 members of the Manipur Legislative Assembly have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a change of guard in the state.

The memorandum, a portion of which was leaked to the media on Friday, was signed by Th. Satyabrata Singh, Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, who is known to be a loyalist of Chief Minister Biren Singh. The other two signatories of the memorandum include two ministers, Th. Biswajit and Yumnam Khemchand.

"We as fervent supporters of the BJP and having won the mandate of the people, feel that we have the responsibility to save Manipur. At the present juncture, taking a cue from the trend and dynamics of the conflict and strife between the two communities, we strongly feel that removal of the present incumbent Chief Minister is the only solution," the memorandum stated.

"At this juncture, the people of Manipur are raising questions to us, in particular the BJP-led government, as to why peace and normalcy cannot be restored and plight of people could not be alleviated yet. Voices have been raised from public saying MLAs should resign if solution is not brought soon," it added.

The memorandum further stated, ".....the need of the hour is to examine the crucial factors that are hampering the initiation of dialogue and take action to create a conducive atmosphere which will facilitate the same. In the light of the above stated facts, we, the undersigned implore again to take immediate necessary action to start the peace dialogue with all stakeholders to save Manipur before it is too late."

It may be mentioned here that Manipur has been on the boil due to ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May last year, which have so far claimed lives of over 220 civilians and displaced over 65,000 people.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday organised a crucial meeting of the Meitei, Kuki and Naga MLAs of Manipur, which was the first of its kind since violence broke out last year, involving the representatives of the communities. The Ministry later stated the meeting was fruitful and appealed to all sections in the hill state to shun the path of violence.

However, the Kuki MLAs later stated that they did not take part in the joint meeting but met the MHA representatives separately and reiterated their demand for a separate administration on the lines of Union Territory with legislature as pre-condition for any talks with the Meitei community.

Repeated calls to BJP's Manipur in-charge Ashok Singhal to confirm about the developments, however, remained unanswered.

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