Biren Singh resigns as Manipur CM, assembly session scrapped

Amidst rumblings within the state Bharatiya Janata Party seeking a change of leadership in strife-torn Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

The Governor accepted Singh's resignation, along with that of his council of ministers, and requested that he continue in office until alternative arrangements are made.

The development comes hours after Singh returned from Delhi after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Singh had been defying the opposition's demand to step down as CM of the ethnic violence-hit state where trouble broke out 21 months ago in May 2023.

Meanwhile, the state assembly session which was scheduled to begin on Monday has been scrapped.

The opposition had planned to bring a no confidence motion against Singh during the session.

The Congress was prompt to react that the 'belated' resignation was like 'closing the stable door after the horse has bolted'.

It said the people of the state were now awaiting a visit by 'our frequent-flier Prime Minister' Narendra Modi.

Earlier this week, a new controversy erupted after the Supreme Court sought a sealed-cover forensic report on the authenticity of leaked audio clips alleging the role of Singh in the ethnic violence.

The tapes reportedly included conversations where Singh allegedly suggested that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition from the state government during the unrest, which has so far claimed 250 lives.

In his resignation letter, Singh said, 'It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far. I am extremely grateful to the central government for time actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interests of every single Manipuri.'

'My sincere request to the central government through your good office is to continue with the same. I take the opportunity to enumerate the most important ones of them ... To maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur which has a rich and diverse civilizational history over thousands of years,' the letter added.

Singh also requested the Centre to continue the 'crackdown on border infiltration and to formulate policy for the deportation of the illegal immigrants and the fight against drugs and narco terrorism'.

On Saturday, Singh convened a meeting with BJP-led ruling alliance MLAs at the CM Secretariat.

The meeting was held in the wake of the opposition Congress seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the government during the Assembly session.

It was not immediately clear whether the BJP will appoint a new CM. Top BJP leader Sambit Patra is camping in Manipur.

BJP sources on the other hand expressed hope that Singh's stepping down will help boost the efforts being helmed by the Centre to broker peace between the two main ethnic communities in the state.

Noting that former home secretary Ajay Bhalla was appointed the state's governor in December last with an apparent aim to accelerate peace and security measures, they said Singh's resignation will help the process and convey the Centre's sincerity in bridging the ethnic divide.

A source claimed that Singh was also losing support among BJP MLAs, many of whom have met party leaders in Delhi to convey their unhappiness with his continuation.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge blamed Modi as the real culprit of 'disdain and apathy' towards the strife-torn state.

'It is painful to say that for 21 months, the BJP ignited a fire in Manipur and left the people across communities to fend for themselves,' Kharge said in a post on X.

'Their rank incompetence and utter disregard for Rajdharma resulted in at least 258 people having died, more than 5,600 arms and 6.5 lakh rounds of ammunition were looted from police armouries, more than 60,000 people displaced and thousands still forced to live in relief camps,' he said.

Assembly secretary K Meghajit Singh issued a notice stating: 'In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Governor of Manipur, hereby order that the previous directive to summon the 7th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, which has yet to commence, is hereby declared null and void with immediate effect.'

Meanwhile, state BJP president A Sharda said, "We are yet to receive further instructions from the party."

She asserted that Singh worked tirelessly for the development and integrity of the state.

On February 3, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar sought a report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) within six weeks and posted the plea by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) on March 24.

KOHUR, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, sought a court-monitored SIT probe into the alleged role of the chief minister in the ethnic violence.

Bhushan termed the contents of the audio leaks a 'very serious matter' and said in the clips the chief minister was purportedly saying that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition of the state government.

More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023.