Manipur Congress accuses Amit Shah, Biren Singh of contradicting each other

The Manipur Congress on Tuesday accused Union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister N. Biren Singh of failing to present a unified stance on the violence in the state and said that their contradictions have led to confusion and stalled efforts to restore peace.

Addressing a press conference in Imphal on Tuesday, state Congress chief Keisham Meghachandra said, “Amit Shah recently described the crisis as an ethnic clash between two communities, while Biren Singh blamed illegal infiltrators from Myanmar. These contradictions have led to confusion and stalled efforts to restore peace.”

He also recalled Shah’s earlier remarks during the 2023 no-confidence motion, where the home minister blamed both a Manipur high court ruling on the Meitei’s ST demand and illegal infiltrators for the turmoil.

“These inconsistent statements from the home minister over 19 months clearly show a lack of focus in addressing the crisis,” he added.

Meghachandra further criticised chief minister Biren Singh for his speech on the Vijay Diwas, where Singh claimed he had not received intelligence input for the past 15 months.

“Is he not the chief minister who handles the home department, which oversees intelligence operations? If not him, then who is managing the department?” Meghachandra asked.

He also demanded clarity on Singh’s allegation that some agencies provided false information to the Centre.

“Who are these agencies? Are they state or central agencies?” Meghachandra asked, describing the situation as a reflection of “confusion and incompetence” in managing law and order.

The Congress leader urged the state and central governments to take decisive action to bring peace and normalcy. “People are losing their livelihoods, rights, and freedom to speak. The state is descending into chaos and anarchy,” he warned.

There was no immediate reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to Meghachandra’s allegations.