New Delhi: About two years after ethnic violence first broke out in Manipur, which the state has since failed to control, Biren Singh resigned from the position of chief minister Sunday.
Singh flew to Delhi Saturday evening, just days before the state’s upcoming assembly session, to meet Home Minister Amit Shah, where he was asked to resign after a two hour-long meeting, sources in the government said.
The seventh session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly is scheduled to begin Monday.
After flying back to Imphal, around 2 pm Sunday, Singh tendered his resignation to the newly appointed governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
“He was called by the home minister and after a two-hour long meeting, he was asked to resign,” a source told ThePrint. “The governor will now consult the Centre and suggest whether President’s Rule should be invoked or another name is to be recommended for the post.”
In all likelihood, President’s Rule will be imposed, sources told ThePrint.
For imposing President’s Rule, the governor has to submit a report to the President, citing failure of constitutional machinery and saying that the current government is unable to carry out governance. A notification is then issued.
Although Bharatiya Janata Party still has the numbers in Manipur assembly, Singh does not have the confidence of most of his party members.
Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra said Friday that the party would move a no-confidence motion against the N. Biren Singh’s government in the state assembly.
Brahmastra Missile will surely hit one of the Double Engine !
Congress Party set to move No Confidence Motion anytime soon. @kharge @RahulGandhi @priyankagandhi @kcvenugopalmp @Jairam_Ramesh @girishgoaINC @christilak @ANI @PTI_News @INCIndia @TimesNow @thewire_in
— Keisham Meghachandra Singh (@meghachandra_k) February 7, 2025
Congress has five MLAs in the 60-member Manipur assembly. National People’s Party, another opposition party, has seven legislators. The BJP has 32 MLAs and also has the support of five Naga People’s Front MLAs, besides six of Janata Dal (United). There are three independent MLAs and two legislators of the Kuki Peoples’ Alliance.
In his resignation, Singh thanked the central government for timely action and implementing various projects for “safeguarding the interest of every single Manipuri”.
He also urged the Centre to continue working “to maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur, which has a rich and diverse civilisational history over thousands of years, to crack down on border infiltration and to formulate 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”, and so on.
A state government official told ThePrint, “Singh made it a point to include all the issues he has always advocated for. He has been talking about the illegal influx of immigrants, narco-terrorism and strong borders, which he reiterated in his resignation as well.”
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