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Manipur violence: Dissent brews against CM Biren Singh
Differences have emerged among BJP legislators on Singh’s handling of the issue and some of them want him to quit to ensure an early resolution of the crisis
GUWAHATI/New Delhi Rumblings against the N Biren Singh government grew louder in Manipur and New Delhi on Tuesday, with even lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies expressing dissatisfaction with the volatile situation in the northeastern state that has been grappling with ethnic strife.
Differences have emerged among BJP legislators on Singh’s handling of the issue and some of them want him to quit to ensure an early resolution of the crisis. Speaking on condition of anonymity, senior leaders in the Capital said that there were concerns within the party that the continued violence may hit the BJP’s “double-engine government” plank and hamper their electoral prospects in the states scheduled to go to the polls this year, including Mizoram.
Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 witnessing widespread ethnic clashes between the Meitei community, who are dominant in Imphal valley, and the Kuki community, who are in majority in the hill districts. The violence has claimed at least 115 lives, injured over 300 and displaced as many as 40,000 people from both communities.
Singh, who is a Meitei, has been blamed by Kuki groups for taking sides.
“Ten Kuki MLAs, including seven from the BJP, have gone public with their opposition to the chief minister. Though there’s no open and vocal opposition among other BJP MLAs, there are some of us who are unhappy with how he has handled the crisis in Manipur till date and want some changes so that there is an early resolution,” a BJP MLA from Manipur said on Tuesday, seeking anonymity.
Read: Manipur violence: Opposition parties submit signed memorandum to PM Narendra Modi
Nine state legislators, including eight from the BJP and an independent who supports the state government, submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in New Delhi on Monday that said there was complete breakdown of law and order in the state.
“At present, there is no trust and confidence in the government and administration. Public have lost complete faith in the present state government,” the memorandum said. “Some special measures for proper administration and function of the government by following rule of law may kindly be resorted to so that the trust and confidence of the general public is restored.”
“The present crisis is going on for long and people are unhappy with the way it’s being handled. That’s why we want the Centre to intervene and find some solution to it. Hence, we went to the PMO and submitted the memorandum,” BJP MLA Yumnam Radheyshyam said on Tuesday.
Radheyshyam was among the nine MLAs who went to the PMO and among 30 odd lawmakers from the BJP and its allies in Manipur who on Monday met Union defence minister Rajnath Singh. Later, 23 of them met finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The legislators apprised both central ministers about the situation in the border state.
The National Peoples Party (NPP), the second largest party in the 60-member assembly with seven MLAs, and an ally of the BJP, has threatened to withdraw support if the situation doesn’t improve within the next few days.
“Things have gone out of hand for more than a month now. It can’t remain the way it is, or else the people won’t forgive us,” Yumnam Joykumar, former deputy chief minister and national vice president of NPP, said on Tuesday. “We will watch the situation for the next three days. If it doesn’t improve, we will seriously reconsider our support to the state government.”
“If they (the central government) fail to address the situation, they should either impose President’s rule in Manipur or remove the head of government,”added Joykumar, who was police chief in Manipur before joining politics.
Read: What sparked the ethnic strife in Manipur? Know history of Kuki-Meiti clashes
On May 3, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur between numerically dominant Meitei community — which forms 53% of the state population — and tribal communities, especially Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Violent clashes broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
According to a senior party leader, there is a growing concern that the BJP’s image of a “decisive, decision-making government” could be tarnished if the violence persists. “The party stands to lose the gains that it made after 2014 by forming governments in some of the North Eastern states, either on its own or with allies. There is a growing apprehension among party leaders on the ground about this...,” the leader speaking on condition of anonymity said.
A group of state legislators who met several senior party leaders, including BJP national general secretary (organisation) on Tuesday have urged the government to ensure smooth delivery of relief materials, restoration of peace and highlighted the political consequences of the violence that the party might to face in Manipur and the North-east.
Read: Amid violence in Manipur, Twitter handle of major tribal leaders' forum blocked
“They [the legislators] have cautioned that the the party’s allies in the state and in the other states as well could be forced to keep a distance from the BJP if the situation is not controlled soon enough,” a second BJP functionary said.
The party’s ideological fount, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), also sounded the alarm over the impact the prolonged conflict could have on the ties between the two communities.
The RSS in its statement issued on Sunday spoke about the need to address the trust deficit between the two communities, asked the government to take immediate steps to stem the violence and made a plea to civil society to do its bit to bring peace. “The RSS has worked for years building bridges with people in the North East who have diverse customs, languages and food habits and being close to the borders, are vulnerable to external influences. They are concerned by the attempts being made to sow seeds of distrust among communities and want the government to be take swift action,” said a senior Sangh functionary.
State BJP leaders, however, tried to play down the differences in the party and among alliance partner
“There’s no official confirmation of any BJP MLA having problems with CM Singh,” said Chidananda Singh, vice-president of BJP’s Manipur unit. “There could be some differences of opinion, which is nothing new. But there’s no threat to our government in Manipur.”
