Amit Shah may meet Manipur minister ahead of assembly session

The national and Manipur capitals were abuzz with speculation after it emerged that Y Khemchand, a cabinet minister in the N Biren Singh government, met with several other ministers and legislators, and was summoned to New Delhi for a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah.

Khemchand’s meeting with the ministers and legislators, and his forthcoming meeting with Shah, come ahead of the seventh session of the Manipur legislative assembly scheduled for the second week of February. It also comes amid growing legal troubles for the chief minister. The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) to submit a report on the leaked audio tapes allegedly featuring Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, in which he is purportedly heard saying that the ethnic violence in the state was instigated at his insistence.

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister Khemchand left for Delhi on Sunday (January 2) at around 1pm.One of his aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that several MLAs are dissatisfied with the administration of the current government since the violence broke out in Manipur.

This person, who asked not to be named, added that Khemchand met some ministers at his residence last week.

“The primary agenda of the meeting with Shah is to address the grievances faced by MLAs since the violence erupted. Additionally, Khemchand will strongly urge the central leaders to meet MLAs individually and hear their concerns,” the person said.

The meeting at Khemchand’s residence was also attended by members of other political parties and independent MLAs who are supporting the BJP government.

Following the recent withdrawal of support by some parties from the BJP-led government, the Naga People’s Front (NPF) remains the only party still aligned with the BJP.

At least 260 people have been killed and over 60,000 displaced since the ethnic violence broke out between Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur on May 3, 2023.

In Imphal, there is speculation that the National People’s Party (NPP), which holds six seats (excluding the vacant Tadubi Assembly constituency seat of late MLA N Kayisii), may sit in the Opposition benches in the upcoming assembly session alongside five Congress MLAs and independent MLA Mohd Abdul Nasir from Lilong constituency.

Another person familiar with the developments in the state said that previously, independent MLA Sapam Nishikant and MLA Th. Radheshyam were separately summoned to Delhi, where they met with Amit Shah and BJP Northeast coordinator and Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra.

Meanwhile, BJP’s Manipur spokesperson Mayanglambam Suresh confirmed on Tuesday at the state party office that Article 355 is currently in effect in Manipur, which means the Centre is responsible for law and order.

Responding to media queries about when it was imposed, Suresh said, “The day the central government appointed Kuldiep Singh as the security advisor to Manipur government. Since then, law and order have been under the command and control of the central government, while political administration remains under the BJP-led state government.”

He added: “The order or notification regarding the imposition of Article 355 in Manipur is available on the Ministry of Home Affairs website.”

The imposition of Article 355 has been a topic of debate in Manipur, with chief minister N Biren Singh avoiding direct confirmation of this on multiple occasions during media interactions.