When Amit Shah visited Kuki-dominated Churchandpur during his three-day tour of Manipur, anger against Biren Singh in the hill districts meant the chief minister could not accompany the Union home minister.
This explains why Shah’s tour has now ended, but the spotlight is on Biren Singh’s fate and his chair looks uncertain.
Those close to Singh say his “only intention” was to fight against drugs, illegal immigrants and stop opium cultivation. “His fight was not against cookies. He was fighting for the indigenous rights of the people, which includes 30 tribes,” a source close to Biren Singh told News18.
But at least 10 MLAs from the Kuki community, including two ministers and five BJP MLAs, have submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister demanding a separate administration. Manipur, Sources said the legislators have expressed a sense of no confidence in the leadership of the Manipur chief minister.
The Ethics and Privileges Committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, headed by MLA Nishikant Singh Sapam, has served show-cause notices to 10 Kuki legislators after filing a complaint that their demand for a separate administration for hill districts was a breach of privilege.
Both Kukis and Meitei are angry with the CM
While the Kukis are upset over the Chief Minister’s anti-encroachment campaign in the forests and the alleged partiality of the administration when the violence started, the Meiteis are also not united in their support for the Chief Minister. A BJP Meitei MLA who spoke to News18 on the condition of anonymity said that 25-30% Meiteis are supporting the CM, while the rest are upset about the way the violence situation was handled .
“The situation could have been handled in a better way. One is to act actively and the other is to react to a situation. In the case of Manipur, there was no proactive measure. When the solidarity march was announced, the administration should have been prepared, security arrangements should have been made, hot spots should have been marked… Par shaasan, prashaasan sab so rahe tha (But the government and the administration were all asleep),” he told News18.
The lack of trust in the chief minister’s leadership was highlighted by four BJP MLAs who quit various government posts. BJP MLA Raghumani Singh resigned as chairman of Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency, P Brojen Singh as chairman of Manipur Development Society, Karam Shyam as chairman of Manipur Tourism Corporation and Thikchom Radheshyam as advisor to chief minister. resigned as
Question mark on CM’s inaction
Many narratives have come out against the Chief Minister. The main thing is that when the violence started on May 3, the state government failed to control it. There were also allegations coming from the hills that the CM favored one community and also failed to understand the strong undercurrents running in the hills, leading to mishandling of the situation during the solidarity march.
A source told News18, “He is the CM for both Kuki and Meitei communities, but there are allegations that as head of state, he failed to represent the state as a whole and alienated a section of the population.” done.”
Despite repeated outbreaks of violence, it failed to control the situation. At the same time, the women stopped the security forces. A story also surfaced that the Assam Rifles were batting for cookies and this confusion could not be resolved by the government.
North Block officials in Delhi also received reports about the mishandling of the situation in Imphal.
However, speaking to News18, Biren Singh said: “I am a chief minister of a state called Manipur, in which 35 tribes, including Meitei, Kuki, Naga, Meitei Pangal, are living together… I am working for all communities.” working for.”
central intervention
Kuldeep Singh, former DG of CRPF and an officer who enjoys the trust of the Home Minister Amit Shah, arrived as the security advisor to the CM. Now, Rajeev SinghA Tripura cadre officer, who was earlier posted as IG in CRPF, has been appointed as the DGP of Manipur.
Singh’s intra-cadre deputation for three years was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) when the Union Home Minister arrived in Imphal. Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi was also brought from Delhi as the violence spiraled out of control. The string of appointments is being seen as the Center taking matters into its own hands.
Ground experts say that the future of Biren Singh is currently uncertain. Pradeep Phanjoubam, a senior journalist from Imphal, told News18, “It is an uncertain time for him (the CM)… Speculation is rife about President’s rule in the state.”
A former Manipur police officer believes that a change of chief minister could help the BJP do damage control, especially in the hill districts. The way the CM handled the situation, the BJP could be wiped out in the hills because of it, he said. Both Naga and Kuki are upset. Changing the Chief Minister will solve 50 percent of the problem.