Manipur’s CM goes to resign, changes mind

N Biren Singh, chief minister of Manipur, a state that has been roiled by ethnic violence for close to two straight months with little end in sight, seemed to begin the process of resigning on Friday afternoon, before protesters that collected outside his Imphal home prevented him from proceeding to the Governor’s residence 200 metres away, following which he “clarified” he would not demit office. The dramatic scenes outside Singh’s chief ministerial bungalow saw thousands of Meitei women gathering outside his home from the morning as rumours swirled; they raised slogans hailing him; and they tore a sheet of paper that contained his resignation, which was brought out and read by Singh’s cabinet colleague.

Images of that torn letter, on Singh’s letter-head, were circulated widely, as if to show the world at large that Singh was not being allowed to resign. And soon after, the chief minister put out a clarification on Twitter, saying he would not quit at this “critical juncture”.

There was no immediate comment by the Union home ministry, which is believed to have prevailed on Singh to resign after a series of phone calls on Thursday.

By 10.30 on Friday morning, spurred by local news reports that Singh intended to meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey and tender his resignation, supporters, most of them women, gathered in front of the Nupi-Lal memorial complex in Imphal in front of Singh’s residence. They said that they had heard that he intended to resign and that the current situation could not be fixed by such a move. Ima Leirikleima, one of the elderly Meitei women at the protest said: “This is the time for Chief Minister N Biren Singh to stand firm.”

Another protester said, “We are protesting to stop CM N Biren Singh from resigning. He is highlighting our issues, which we appreciate. He is working not only for Manipur but for the whole nation.”

Singh is a Meitei himself, and his response to the ethnic strife in the state — many analysts believe he has been openly partisan — has only increased his standing in the community.

At around 2.20 in the afternoon, Singh emerged from his residence and attempted to drive off to the Raj Bhavan, all of 200 metres away, but was stopped by doing so by the crowds. Before this, Singh was joined at his residence by several cabinet colleagues that still back him, who emerged with him.

Greeted with slogans in his support, Singh then returned inside. Minutes later, a group of ministers led by consumer affairs minister L Susindro emerged with a piece of paper. Using a mike, and speaking to an increasingly agitated crowd, Susindro read out Singh’s resignation letter that read, “Honourable Governor Madam, I hereby submit my resignation as Chief Minister of Manipur. I thank you for your cooperation and guidance during the past few months.” An elderly woman then took that piece of paper and tore it.

Soon after, Singh took to Twitter to say: “At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister.”

From May 3, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic clashes, triggered by an order by the Manipur high court that recommended to the government that the Meiteis, the dominant community in Manipur with 53% of the population, be included in the scheduled tribe list. This caused protests among the tribal population, particularly the Kukis, and tensions lead to clashes that were first concentrated in Meitei dominated Imphal Valley and districts in the hills like Churachandpur that have a heavy tribal population, but soon spread across the state. In three violent days between May 3 and 6, there was a wave of attacks and arson with people fleeing from their homes, and the army called in to control the situation. Since then however, in a sign of the simmering tension within, sporadic violence has continued, with at least 117 dead, over 300 injured, and nearly 50,000 displaced from their homes.

Singh has been a deeply divisive figure during this time, with opposition leaders calling for his resignation for several weeks. On June 23, after an all party meeting called by Union home minister Amit Shah, RJD leader and member of Parliament Manoj Jha had said that there was no trust in Singh. “You can’t have peace until that person is in charge. The opposition emphasised that Manipur requires a healing touch and for that it needs a face that must unite and not divide.”

Tribal organisations have long called for Singh’s resignation, objecting to his inclusion in a peace committee in the middle of June, and refusing to hold talks with Shah if Singh came with him. When Shah did hold consultations with tribal groups in Churachandpur and Moreh on May 30 and 31, Singh stayed in Imphal. On his inclusion in the peace committee on June 12, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum, a conglomeration of Kuki groups said, “ITLF strongly condemns the inclusion of CM N Biren Singh, the very perpetrator of the current violence, in the peace committee.” For almost a month-and-half it has been clear that Singh’s government has been in charge of the plains in the state dominated by Meiteis with the Union government calling the shots in the hill districts (where majority of the tribal population including Kukis and Nagas stay).

On Friday, tribal groups dismissed Singh’s attempts at resigning as “drama”. “If he was really serious, nothing should have stopped him (from resigning). More than the CM resigning, the Centre should have removed him by now and imposed President’s Rule. If the Centre is not keen on President’s Rule because the BJP is in power both at the state and the centre, then they must at least replace him. Our demands for his removal and the imposition of presidents rule stand as that is the only way to end violence and bring peace,” said K Sitlhou, spokesperson for COTU (Committee of Tribal Unity), a Kuki organisation.

Manipur Congress president K Meghachandra Singh said, “The resignation episode by the CM was high drama and a planned programme. We have come to know from Raj Bhawan that CM’s meet with the Governor was first scheduled at 10 am. It was then postponed to 1 pm and again to 3 pm. In the meantime, BJP supporters gathered outside the CM’s residence and exerted pressure on him not to resign. The CM was under lot of pressure from the Centre due to Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Manipur and the way he was prevented from going to Churachandpur by road on Thursday.”

Biren Singh has however found support from Meitei organisations that backed his decision to stay on, and said that “no suspended animation or presidents rule was acceptable”. Jeetendra Ningomba, leader of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a conglomeration of Meitei groups based in Imphal said, “All issues and problems we are facing today must be resolved under the responsibility of the popular elected government which is very much the democratic right of the people of Manipur… The present crisis should not be further worsened by running away from responsibility.”