Guwahati: A day ahead of a scheduled session of the Manipur legislative assembly, Chief Minister N Biren Singh has tendered his resignation to the state Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Sunday. Following the CM's resignation, the Governor declared the Assembly session null and void.
Biren Singh's resignation came on Sunday, nearly two years after the bloody violence between the Meiteis and Kukis broke out in the state on May 3, 2023, which has so far left over 250 people from both communities dead and over 65,000 people displaced.
The governor accepted the resignation of Biren Singh and has asked him to continue till alternative arrangements are made.
It may be mentioned here that a cabinet meeting held last month decided to convene a session of the Manipur legislative assembly from February 10, 2025.
In the resignation letter submitted to the Governor, Biren Singh said, "I am extremely grateful to the central government for timely actions, interventions, developmental works and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interest of every single Manipuri. My sincere request to the central government through your good office is to continue with the same.
Biren Singh's letter
In his letter, Biren Singh also listed five "most important' tasks for the central government which include maintaining the territorial integrity of Manipur which has a rich and diverse civilizational history over thousands of years, cracking down on border infiltration and formulating a policy for the deportation of the illegal immigrants, to continue the fight against drugs and narco-terrorism, to continue the stringent and fool-proof revised mechanism of FMR with the biometric being stringently applied, time-bound and faster border which is underway."
The Manipur Chief Minister was in Delhi for the last three days and met top BJP leadership including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda etc. Singh also took a holy dip in the Mahakumbh Mela at Prayagraj.
On Sunday, accompanied by State BJP President A Sharda and 14 MLAs belonging to the BJP and NPF, Biren Singh handed over his resignation to the governor.
Biren Singh handed in his resignation hours after he returned from Delhi. His resignation comes ahead of the upcoming assembly session beginning February 10.
Amit Shah's meetings
A few days ago, BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah held separate meetings with Biren Singh and six sitting MLAs in New Delhi to prevent any threat to their party government in the violence-battered northeastern state. Amit Shah began these deliberations following information about the opposition’s alleged move to table a no-confidence motion against the Biren Singh-led BJP government in the troubled State.
There has been a rising discontent among the BJP MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly against the leadership of Biren Singh. Against this backdrop, several contenders for the CM post including Th. Biswajit was among those with whom Amit Shah held the deliberations recently.
Pressure mounting on Biren Singh
Pressure has been mounting on Biren Singh for resignation for his failure to handle the violence which has left the whole state divided on ethnic lines.
While at least 19 legislators of the Manipur legislative assembly had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October last year seeking to replace Chief Minister N Biren Singh, the recent Supreme Court instruction order seeking the production of the report of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory on the examination of certain audio tapes which allegedly recorded the statements to Manipur CM Biren Singh suggesting his involvement in the State's ethnic violence have also put the pressure on the Chief Minister.
It may be mentioned here that the National Peoples' Party (NPP), a partner of the BJP-led government in Manipur, had also withdrawn support from the BJP in November last year. While the NPP has remained a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, the party has withdrawn its support from the BJP government in Manipur owing to the BJP-led government, particularly the Chief Minister N Biren Singh's alleged failure to handle the crisis in Manipur.
Opposition leader Ibobi Singh
Earlier this week, former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Okram Ibobi Singh urged Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to advise CM Biren Singh to refrain from intimidating members of the state Assembly. Ibobi Singh complained to Bhalla that Biren Singh threatened some MLAs not to join the no-confidence motion, during a function last month.
Reacting to the development, a spokesperson from the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) said that resignation was the last option left with the BJP government. “Biren Singh knew that he would be voted out in the no-confidence vote in the Manipur Assembly, and to save his face, he must have submitted his resignation. Also, with the audio tape leaked being taken up by the Supreme Court, even the BJP central leadership can’t do much to save him,” the ITLF spokesperson said.
Ever since the ethnic conflict between Kukis and Meeteis broke out in May 2023, several organisations have been demanding the resignation of Biren Singh.
Read More
Analysis | Saffron Sweep On Super Saturday Brooms AAP From National Capital
