Manipur: What led to CM Biren Singh's resignation bid, drama and somersault?

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has emerged from what his detractors called a staged drama to live another day amidst an unprecedented crisis engulfing his state. A day after fresh protests erupted on the streets of Imphal, keeping it on the boil till late night, Manipur woke up on Friday to unconfirmed news that Singh was contemplating resignation.

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The information was initially taken with a pinch of salt as the chief minister had steadfastly held his ground even as violence continued to rage for over 50 days.

As the day progressed, the official confirmation came of the chief minister meeting Governor Anusuiya Uikey at 1 pm. By then those close to the power had a field day off- the-record feeding media, desperate for information, their versions of what had transpired.

Some said the chief minister was deeply hurt by the way women protestors who took to the streets the previous night made personal attacks against him. A few media outlets said the home ministry noted the renewed spurt in unrest.

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The chief minister was given the option by the Centre of either putting in his paper or facing the axe, reported Imphal-based Sangai Express, quoting sources. It further went on to say sources said “New Delhi” had called up the chief minister a number of times and that the calls were “unusually harsh”.

The latest flashpoint was the killing of two Meitei village defence volunteers in a gun battle allegedly with Kuki militants in a place between Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts in the wee hours of Thursday.

Enraged by the government’s failure to protect “innocent lives”, thousands of women protestors thronged Khwairamband Ima Market in the evening. They fought pitched battles with police in a bid to march to the chief minister’s official residence with the body of one of the deceased.

Police had a tough time controlling protestors who were highly critical of the government, particularly the chief minister.

The protests in the evening came as a double whammy for the Biren Singh government, which was still smarting from its “misadventure” of preventing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from travelling to violence-hit Churachandpur by road. Gandhi was forced to take a helicopter ride to the hill district.

The motorcade of the Congress leader was barred from moving ahead by police at Bishnupur, sparking huge protests by local residents. Police had to fire several teargas shells to disperse the mob.

The irate mob later tried to burn the BJP office at Bishnupur in protest against the police action.

The day-long development left the government’s already tenuous position precarious.

That the Centre was losing its faith in Biren Singh was evident when the home ministry recently curtailed its responsibilities stating that it would take care of hills while the state government should concentrate only on restoring peace in the valley. It was conveyed to the chief minister by Home Minister Amit Shah on June 25. The message was clear that the chief minister was living on borrowed time.

That the government was losing confidence of even the people in the valley was obvious from the outpouring of support for Rahul and the huge protests over killings.

It almost appeared that the days of Biren Singh, who is serving as chief minister of the volatile northeastern state since 2017, were numbered. Hours later, the 62-year-old footballer-turned politician, however, came out of the crisis unscathed.

His critics say he pulled the wool over people’s eyes to survive the crisis by enacting the resignation drama. As soon as the news of his possible resignation was leaked, supporters started trickling outside the chief minister’s official residence urging him to change his mind.

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Meanwhile, the chief minister postponed his meeting with the governor to 3 pm. It provided more time for the supporters to swarm the place.

Finally, when the chief minister came out of his residence to go to Raj Bhawan, barely 400 meters away, to tender resignation his cavalcade was stopped by the women supporters.

They started appealing that the chief minister should not resign. At one point when a ministerial colleague of the chief minister was reassuring the crowd, one woman supporter ostensibly grabbed the resignation paper and tore it. The torn letter went viral, re-emphasising the chief minister’s intention lest anyone should have any doubt.

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Interestingly, the paper was torn with such precision that no word in the resignation letter was damaged or snapped. Amidst the “drama”, the chief minister returned to his residence without visiting Raj Bhawan.

“At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister”, he later tweeted.

Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra Singh viewed the entire development as “staged-managed to deflect the growing pressure on the chief minister to resign”.

“The Chief Minister himself had admitted before the media on June 21 that the violence was due to the collapse of law-and-order machinery and intelligence failure. We are saying that he should take the moral responsibility for the failure and resign,” Meghachandra told The Federal.

Instead of resigning, he brought BJP workers from his constituency to gather before his house to block his way to the Raj Bhavan, the Congress leader further alleged. “Is it not surprising that a supporter managed to tear the resignation letter which should have been in a file?” asked Meghachandra.

Staged or otherwise, the entire drama has helped Biren Singh regain some of his lost ground. After what unfolded, staged or otherwise, on Friday the demand for his resignation would be set to rest at least for some time now.

More so as many organisations who directly did not support Biren Singh too have opposed his ouster or imposition of President’s Rule. “People of the state will not allow any minister, MLA or chief minister to resign at this crucial hour….. He (Biren Singh) cannot resign without completing the game he had started,” said Federation of Civil Society Organisation Manipur (FOCS) president Th Manihar.

Stating that Presiden’t rule would not be acceptable to the people of the state, he said the elected representatives should work together to restore peace in the state.

“He (CM) should solve the problem before resigning,” said All Manipur Kanba Ima Lup (AMKIL) president Lourembam Nganbi.

Nganbi stirred the conscience of the country by leading a nude protest by “mothers of Manipur” at Kangla against rape and extra-judicial killing of Thangjam Manorama in 2004.

“There is a clear division of opinions on whether Biren Singh should resign or not. There is a section who wants him to continue while another wants him to go,” said Imphal-based human rights activist Onil Kshetrimayum.