‘CM for both Meiteis, Kukis’: Biren digs in amid clamour

The state government along with Centre will find these mischief-mongers, terrorists... and bring normalcy, Singh said

Embattled Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said on Thursday that he was the leader and protector of all communities in the state, except illegal immigrants and drug peddlers, swatting away suggestions that he should step down in light of the recent spike in violence because he had lost the trust of key groups and allies.

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh (ANI)

Singh’s comments came days after the National People’s Party (NPP) pulled out of his government amid mounting clamour for his ouster over the renewed churn in the restive state over the encounter killing of 10 suspected Kuki militants and the abduction and murder of six Meitei women and children.

Ethnic clashes in the northeastern state broke out first between the Meitei and the Kuki communities on May 3, 2023 and have since killed 240 people, engulfing almost every group. Since the early days of the conflict, Singh has resisted calls for his resignation, not just from the Kuki community – he is a Meitei – but also leaders within his own party.

“I am the elected chief minister of Manipur and represent all indigenous people of the state. Their local legislators too are members of the House, of which I am the leader. I am here to protect them but… I am not the CM of illegal migrants. I am not the CM of those who bring drugs into India,” he said when asked if he had lost the confidence of the Kuki community.

He also rejected calls for President’s Rule to be imposed in the state. “The current government in Manipur has the mandate of the people. The government is working towards restoring peace, but vested interests, including the Opposition, drug mafia, and illegal migrants do not want us here. The Opposition thinks it has a chance to come back to power and are thus demanding President’s Rule,” he said.

“The state government along with Centre will find these mischief-mongers, terrorists... and bring normalcy,” he added.

As violence has escalated in recent weeks, the Centre has rushed 70 additional companies of paramilitary personnel – roughly 9,000 men – to the state, Union home minister Amit Shah has chaired two special meetings even as the NPP withdrew from the government on Sunday. Though Singh’s government is numerically safe, the withdrawal sparked speculation that more political churn was in the offing.

Singh dismissed the speculation.

“Our government is stable and we have the requisite numbers. But this is not the time to talk about numbers. Some may have left when we are going through this phase but we will come out of this stronger. This is not the time for politics. I held that meeting to find measures to save our people and take feedback from the elected representatives,” he said.

He said the Centre was monitoring Manipur round the clock. “Look at how swiftly the government sent over 70 companies of paramilitary forces to Manipur…The Centre also started a dialogue with all legislators to bring peace. It is up to everyone to attend meetings and work towards restoring normalcy.”

Since 2023, far from any administrative salve to a now-fractured society, the fallout of the long running-ethnic hostilities has meant that the Meiteis, who live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, who predominantly live in the hills, have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. In response, security forces have created buffer zones in different border districts, set up camps and posts on highways.

But often, militants from both groups use the hills and the jungle area to cross into other districts and attack each other. The hostilities have also led to the proliferation of groups such as Arambai Tenggol, underlining how fault lines have widened beyond the Meitei-Kuki divide, pitting different communities against each other.

Singh blamed the unabating violence to illegal immigrants and the drug mafia.

“The violence is there because there are many interest groups who have been hit hard by the work of our government. The drug mafia, illegal migrants want this to go on because they know before the violence Biren Singh was hitting their illegal operations. We were the first ones to get biometric details of the people… I’m being targeted because our government has cut off one of the main drug routes of the Golden Triangle and stopped illegal entry into Manipur,” he said.