Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 19: The Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh seems to have lost the majority support in the state Assembly with 11 BJP members boycotting a meeting convened by the chief minister to review the law and order situation in the riot-torn state.
The Manipur Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Tuesday served notices to 11 MLAs, including ministers, for not attending the meeting convened by the chief minister.
The MLAs who were asked to explain their absence included Kshetrigao’s Sheikh Noorul Hassan of the National People’s Party (NPP), a hitherto ally of the BJP, which has already withdrawn its support to the Biren Singh government.
The NPP, too, served show-cause notices to three of its seven MLAs for attending the meeting despite the party having withdrawn its support from the Biren Singh-led government on Sunday. These MLAs are Mayanglambam Rameswhar Singh representing the Kakching constituency, Thongam Shanti Singh (Moirang), and Irengbam Nalini Devi (Oinam).
“Our Tamenglong MLA, Janghemlung Panmei did not attend the meeting but someone faked his signature to show he was present,” an Imphal Valley-based NPP leader said. “Our State Committee wrote to our national president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who issued a show-cause notice to the three MLAs who defied the party’s stand,” he said.
Barring Mr Hassan and Sapam Nishikanta Singh, an independent MLA who represents the Keishamthong seat, all legislators served notices by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat are BJP members. Among them, Khumukcham Joykisan (Thangmeiband) and Md Achab Uddin (Jiribam) had switched from the Janata Dal (United). Two “absentee” NPP legislators – N. Kayisii of Tadubi constituency and Khuraijam Loken Singh of Wangoi – were not given any notice, unlike Mr Hassan.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh referred to the turnout at Monday’s meeting to assert that the “writing on the wall is clear” for the BJP in Manipur. “The Manipur Assembly has 60 MLAs. Last night, the CM of Manipur called a meeting in Imphal of all MLAs belonging to the NDA. Other than him, only 26 showed up. Of these 26, 4 belong to the NPP whose National President has already written to the BJP National President withdrawing support to the present CM,” he posted on X.
Among the attendees was Manipur’s Rajya Sabha member Leishemba Sanajaoba. After the NPP pulled out, the NDA in Manipur has 46 MLAs. Eight of them, including seven of the BJP, are Kuki-Zo MLAs who left the Imphal Valley after the ethnic clashes broke out on May 3, 2023.
In the wake of the killing of six women and children in Kuki-dominated Jiribam district last week, the Manipur’s ruling alliance MLAs passed a resolution urging the Centre to review the imposition of AFSPA and declare the Kuki militants responsible for the killing as an “unlawful organisation” within seven days.
At a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, the MLAs demanded “mass operations against Kuki militants responsible for” the abduction and killing of women and children in Jiribam during November 11 violence.
“Chaired a crucial meeting with ruling MLAs today where we strongly condemned the recent killing of innocents in Jiribam. Rest assured, justice will be ensured and firm action will be taken up against the perpetrators. Key decisions on AFSPA and strengthening law & order were also taken to ensure peace and stability in the State,” the CM said in a post on X.
The resolution also endorsed the Cabinet’s decision from earlier to transfer three major cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) – the killing of six Meitei women and children in Jiribam, the November 7 burning of a Hmar woman in Jiribam and the November 9 killing of a Meitei woman farmer in Saiton, Bishnupur district.
The resolution stated that if these were “not implemented within the specified period, the NDA legislators will decide the future course of action in consultation with the people of the State.” It also stated that legal action would be taken against people who had vandalised the homes of legislators during the protests.
With violence continuing in Manipur unabated, the Congress has renewed its attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the central government of deliberately keeping the state burning. The Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X said Manipur, since May 2023 has undergone “unimaginable pain”, “division and simmering violence” which has destroyed the future of its people. “We are saying it with utmost responsibility that it looks that the BJP deliberately wants Manipur to burn, for it serves its hateful divisive politics,” Mr Kharge said.
Mr Kharge pointed out that the violence is spreading to newer districts in the State and also spilling over to other North-eastern States. “You have failed Manipur — a beautiful border State. Even if you visit Manipur in future, people of the State will never forgive or forget that you left them to fend for themselves, and never set foot in their State to heal their miseries and find a solution,” he added. Playing on Mr Modi’s campaign slogan for the poll-bound Maharashtra and Jharkhand — “Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai” (Safety in Unity), Mr Kharge said, “Na Manipur Ek Hai, Na Manipur Safe Hain” (Neither is Manipur united nor is it safe.)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, called the recent string of violent clashes and continued bloodshed in Manipur as “deeply disturbing”. “After more than a year of division and suffering, it was the hope of every Indian that the Central and State Governments would have made every effort at reconciliation and found a solution. “I urge the PM once again to visit Manipur and work towards restoring peace and healing in the region,” he said.
Party’s General Secretary K.C. Vengopal said when even the ruling party MLAs are not safe, how can ordinary citizens have any hope for peace. He was pointing to reports about a mob attack on BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo. “The crisis has spiralled out of control simply because of the PM and Home Minister’s active choice to fuel the politics of hatred. The Home Minister is busy campaigning, while the PM has taken off to yet another foreign visit while Manipur burns again. It is our urgent plea to the Centre to restore peace in Manipur at the earliest,” he said in a post on X.
Mr Kharge on Monday also wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, asking her to intervene in the deteriorating situation in Manipur in the light of the inaction by the Union Government. In his letter, he shared how the situation in Manipur has been worsening day-by-day and also highlighted the ‘silence’ and inaction of the state and Union governments marked by the loss of more than 300 lives, people being displaced, the impact on the economy and more.
He said the people have lost faith in the government ‘to protect their lives and properties.’ “With no succour coming from the governments involved, they are finding themselves completely isolated and helpless for more than 540 days now. Indeed, they have lost their faith in the Prime Minister of India and the Chief Minister of the State to protect their lives and properties,” he wrote.
He urged President Murmu to intervene in the situation and showed confidence in Manipur being restored through her involvement.
“I consider that it has become constitutionally imperative on the part of yourself, Hon’ble Madam, as the President of the Republic of India and the custodian of our Constitution to uphold the constitutional propriety and immediately intervene to ensure the protection of lives and properties of the citizens of Manipur as enshrined in the Constitution.