Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 28: In a major political development, at least 10 MLAs of the BJP, the erstwhile ruling party in Manipur which is currently under the President’s Rule, met the governor Ajay Bhalla at the Raj-Bhavan on Wednesday amidst the ongoing civil disobedience stir spearheaded by a Meitei organisation, and staked to form a “popular government” claiming all the 44 members of the coalition led by the BJP were ready to support it.
After the meeting, the, BJP MLA and former minister Thokchom Radheshyam has said “all 44 MLAs” have agreed to form the government “as per the wishes of the people”, but the final decision would be taken by the central leadership. Mr Radheshyam made the statement after he and nine other MLAs met Mr Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.
“All 44 MLAs have agreed to form a popular government as per the wishes of the people. MLAs are ready to form the government. We have conveyed this to the governor. We also discussed possible solutions for issues (plaguing the state). 10 MLAs visited the governor as representatives to explain our position… the final decision will be taken by the central leadership,” the legislator from Heirok assembly constituency said. “The governor took note of what we said and assured us he will take whatever action is in the best interest of the people,” he said.
Among those who met the governor, 8 of the MLAs were from the BJP and one from the National People’s Party (NPP) headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma. One was an independent. “All the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) legislators want a popular government to be installed in the interest of Manipur. We need the support of the people for a smooth government formation,” Sapam Nishikanta Singh, the independent MLA, told journalists after the team met the governor.
He said the team gave the Governor, administering the State since the imposition of the President’s Rule on February 13, a paper signed by 22 MLAs. “This is the same paper we gave to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier. The remaining signatories are not here, but we are all in this together. Everybody wants a popular government,” Mr Sapam Nishikanta Singh said.
Central BJP leaders, however, downplayed the development stating that the visit of the MLAs was more of a courtesy call, and a government was unlikely to be formed any time soon. Manipur has 60 MLAs. Ten of them, including seven from the BJP, belong to the Kuki-Zomi communities and have not set foot in Imphal since the ethnic conflict with the Meitei people broke out on May 3, 2023.
The development occurred less than a day after former BJP Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh met with the Governor at the Raj Bhavan. After the meeting on Tuesday evening, he told journalists that the ongoing unrest in the State figured in the discussion.
He also said he had submitted a letter to the Governor, detailing the steps taken during his tenure to identify illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and addressing the associated challenges. Manipur has been on the boil again since May 20, when security personnel allegedly made passengers of a bus cover the words ‘Manipur State Transport’ displayed on a government-run bus. The bus was carrying Imphal-based journalists and information officials to cover the Shirui Lily Festival in the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district.
The incident made the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an influential Meitei social organisation, call for a 48-hour general strike. The organisation demanded an apology from Mr Bhalla for the bus incident, which “undermined Manipur’s identity, name, pride, and respect.”
The COCOMI also demanded the resignation of Chief Secretary P.K. Singh, Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh, and Director General of Police Rajiv Singh, holding them responsible for the incident. It announced the civil disobedience campaign on May 24 after the demands were not met. Manipur has experienced several bursts of unrest since the start of the ethnic conflict two years ago, leaving more than 250 people dead and about 60,000 others displaced.
Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. Mr Singh had been under fire for his handling of the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which broke out in May 2023. The Manipur Assembly, which has been kept in suspended animation, has a strength of 60, of which one seat is vacant. The BJP-led coalition consists of 44 MLAs, 37 of whom are from the party.
But amid the move to form a popular government, sources at the Centre said on Wednesday that it was unlikely that President’s Rule would be revoked any time soon. The priority for both the Centre and the Manipur state machinery as of now was not government formation but peace, and any political movement could derail the process, which has started to show results.
“Neither the national leadership of the BJP nor the Central government wants government formation as of now. The possibility of this is bleak,” said a senior party leader. “In the BJP, there is a culture of discipline. The central leadership decides who will lead the party. We have to follow that.” The sources said the BJP central leadership was conscious of the sentiments of the MLAs who have been seeking a “popular” government and resumption of the Assembly. “The top leadership is expected to intervene and talk to the legislators. The leadership understands the frustration of the MLAs,” a BJP office-bearer said.
The peace process in the state is slow-moving, with Manipur seeing a fresh round of protests in recent days, and the Centre is wary of both the hiccups involved as well as the sensitive border situation. Over the past three months of President’s Rule, the Centre has initiated a series of measures such as calls to different groups to surrender looted weapons. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah set a deadline of March 8 for resumption of uninterrupted mobility between the Meitei and Kuki areas, though that has run into problems.
But, despite the lukewarm response of Kuki organisations, which have claimed they were not being involved in the talks, the Centre is confident that it is “on the right track.” “In fact, a government in the state could create more troubles for the Centre and its efforts,” senior BJP leader said. “Even all the weapons have not been surrendered yet. There are perhaps 3,000 firearms still out there.”
BJP leaders also point out that there is little guarantee that the MLAs who have apparently come together to stake claim to form a government would be able to keep their differences aside, particularly given the ethnic divisions. The first hurdle, for example, would be the choice of chief minister. “We do not see a possibility of unanimity,” said a source.
The other big hurdle would be N Biren Singh, who was the CM under whom the conflict started and who was in the post till President’s Rule was imposed, despite many calls to replace him. A leader pointed out that the main demand of the Kukis is that Biren be kept out. “So how can we have a government with his involvement?” said the leader.
Party sources pointed out that there had been multiple rounds of discussions over a replacement for Biren earlier too, with a number of MLAs shuttling between Imphal and New Delhi but a consensus could not be reached, finally leading to Biren’s resignation on February 9 ahead of the imposition of President’s Rule.
