'Today, both in the hills and valley there is radicalised militant activity which poses a direct national security threat.'
'This kind of militancy in Manipur is unprecedented, I have never seen such largescale militancy in my life.'
In a surprise move, Nongthombham Biren Singh resigned as Manipur chief minister on Sunday, February 9, 2025.
His resignation comes almost two years after violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur on May 3, 2023.
The Kuki community accused Biren Singh, a Meitei himself, of being sympathetic to their cause and have repeatedly said he was a part of the problem in Manipur.
With the violence refusing to die down even after 21 months, Biren Singh was finally shown the door by the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership.
Biren Singh arrived in New Delhi on Saturday evening, soon after a meeting in Imphal of the 46 National Democratic Alliance MLAs, 26 of whom boycotted the meeting. In the 60-strong assembly, the BJP has 32 MLAs, only 20 of whom are said to back the chief minister.
On Sunday Singh met Union Home Minister Amit A Shah, flew back to Imphal, met some of his colleagues at his home after which he drove to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla -- who was appointed to the post just last month.
More than 250 people have died in the Meitei-Kuki violence in the last 21 months and thousands have been rendered homeless in the ethnic conflict that has engulfed Manipur.
"I hope the central government takes some right steps and not do things in the short term interests of the BJP," Professor Kham Khan Suan Hausing, former head, department of political science at the University of Hyderabad and an astute observer of events in Manipur, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.
Why do you think Biren Singh resigned?
He was left with no other option because of the open rebellion within the BJP in Manipur. He no longer enjoys majority support within the BJP. He had no option left but resign.
Why did the rebellion within the BJP take place now and not at any time in the last 21 months?
He was given more than 21 months to contain the violence in Manipur and he failed to do so. A sizeable number of party leaders within the BJP's Manipur unit feel that Biren Singh has become a liability. This was not auguring well to establish peace in the state.
Did the leaked audio tape case before the Supreme Court have something to do with his resignation? The leaked tapes allege that Biren Singh had a role in the ethnic violence, and the case was not dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has asked for a sealed report from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory on the leaked audio tapes. The audio tapes according to the petitioners (the Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust) establish and link Biren Singh's role in the Manipur conflict.
Was this the turning point that forced Biren Singh to quit?
This is surely one of the turning points in Biren Singh's exit, and the fact is that Biren Singh remains indefensible now.
The onus is on the BJP to fix things before it goes out of hand.
The rebellion factor was also one of the things, for sure. Plus there is a lot of public mobilisation going on in Manipur that Biren Singh must go, and this happened.
Did Governor Bhalla play a role? The former Union home secretary was sent by Delhi to resolve the Manipur problem.
My analysis is that Ajay Kumar Bhalla was sent by New Delhi as he has experience in solving complex problems and they thought he will be able to bring back order in the state.
But the trouble is Biren Singh became a part of the problem of Manipur. Biren Singh is a part of the problem in the eyes of Kuki MLAs and the more sensible Meitei community people.
Out of the 38 BJP MLAs in Manipur how many are against him?
There is no calculation exactly on how many are against him. We can only guess from local Manipur media reports which state that only 17 to 19 MLAs are with Biren Singh.
Do you feel peace will be restored now?
It will require serious and concentrated effort by both the central and political leadership of Manipur.
Trust needs to be restored between the different communities of Manipur.
There is a legitimate crisis of institutions in Manipur in the eyes of Kukis who feel the state machinery is very partisan against them. They feel they are dehumanised and discrimination is out in the open against them.
Do you feel Manipur could have President's rule?
At this moment I feel the BJP would not do that. Possibly, they will have a change of political leadership.
Biren Singh ruled the state with high-handedness but his rule was not effective in bringing peace to the state.
I hope the central government takes some right steps and not do things in the short term interests of the BJP.
Will the Kukis be happy with Biren Singh's exit?
They had a longstanding demand that Biren Singh must go.
Kukis have been consistently stating that as long as Biren is heading the Manipur government peace was not possible.
In that sense it is a relief for Kukis.
The trouble is, radicalisation on both sides has created a huge divide in the state.
The national security gains the Indian State achieved in 2004 by launching an operation (against militants in Manipur) has been neutralised.
Today, both in the hills and valley there is radicalised militant activity which poses a direct national security threat. This radicalisation has deepened in society and has political support within the valley and hills.
Has the gun culture economy begun in Manipur?
Certainly. When Biren Singh was summoned by Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (February 8, 2025), that very night there was looting of arms from the Indian Reserve Battalion in Manipur's Thoubal district.
This shows that law and order has slipped out of the state government's hands despite the fact that there is overwhelming presence of Central Reserve Police Force.
It is now the central government and state government of Manipur who have to come out with a concrete plan on how they are going to restore normalcy in Manipur.
This kind of militancy in Manipur is unprecedented, I have never seen such largescale militancy in my life.
There has to be restoring of trust across the political divide and that is the first step that needs to be taken.
Is it the end of Biren Singh's political career?
I am not sure. If you read his resignation letter you will see he is not leaving due to the consequences (that happened in Manipur).
He carefully mentioned in his letter the words, 'every Manipuri' (I am extremely grateful to the central government for timely actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interest of every single Manipuri).
It is not easy to write off Biren Singh so soon.
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