NEW DELHI, Feb 13: The Centre on Thursday imposed the President’s rule in Manipur, four days after the chief minister N Biren Singh resigned on Sunday. A union home ministry notification said the Manipur Assembly has been put under suspended animation.
Announcing the proclamation of the central rule, a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said President Droupadi Murmu is of the opinion that “a situation has arisen in which the government of that state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.”
“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 356 of the Constitution, and of all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I hereby proclaim that I – assume to myself as President of India all functions of the Government of the State of Manipur and all powers vested in or exercisable by the Governor of that State,” the notification said.
The announcement comes amid the BJP continued to struggle to find a successor to Mr Biren Singh as none of its elected members were willing to take over the responsibility of the strife-torn state. Sambit Patra, the BJP’s in-charge of Manipur, had met Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla for the third time in as many days. There was no information from the Governor’s office or the BJP on what transpired during their meeting for more than an hour.
Meanwhile, the Congress alleged of “deliberate contempt of the Constitution” as the Manipur Assembly sessions were not convened within the stipulated gap of six months. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the breakdown of constitutional machinery in Manipur and the agony of the people of the State continues as they still await a visit by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi “who goes everywhere but Manipur.”
“Article 174 of the Constitution of India states: ‘The Governor shall from time to time summon the House or each House of the Legislature of the State to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session’,” Mr Ramesh said on X.
“The Governor of Manipur had convened the Assembly session to begin on February 10, 2025 and a no-confidence motion submitted by the Congress was to be taken up,” he pointed out. “The CM resigned the previous night and the session was later declared “null and void,” Mr Ramesh noted.
Earlier in the day, Mr Bhalla was briefed on the deployment of Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) in the trouble-torn state during a meeting with officials of the paramilitary force at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal. The outgoing Inspector General of the Manipur and Nagaland Sector, CRPF, Dr Vipul Kumar, and the newly designated IG, Rajendra Narayan Dash, held a meeting with Mr Bhalla, a statement said. “The officials briefed the Governor on the deployment and operational activities of the CRPF in the region,” it said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
