Governor appointments carry BJP’s message to restore peace in Manipur, woo Bihar Muslims
While Centre by sending ex-home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla to Manipur wants to take charge of the situation, Khan’s appointment has been made in view of 2025 Assembly polls
The recent appointment of former home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Arif Mohammad Khan as the governors of Manipur and Bihar respectively is not yet another political development, but part of a strategic political plan by the ruling BJP. In Manipur, it is a message to the N Biren Singh government that New Delhi will directly control the situation in the strife-torn state from now on. While in Bihar, bound for Assembly polls in November 2025, the appointment of Khan is an assurance to the Muslim community that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is committed to its welfare.
Crucial appointment
Bhalla’s appointment to the constitutional post is interesting because he has been one of the longest-serving Union home secretaries to date, and one who has closely worked with Home Minister Amit Shah for nearly five years. His governorship in Manipur holds significance because the violence erupted in the north-eastern state during his tenure as the Union home secretary.
Also read: Situation in Manipur improving, says CM Biren Singh
The ethnic violence in Manipur, which has been raging for over a year now, has raised questions on Biren Singh’s leadership and efficiency in ending the crisis, prompting demands from within the BJP and the NDA for an alternative.
Loss of trust in CM
The National People’s Party (NPP), a key constituent of the NDA in northeast, also quit the alliance, citing inefficiency of the government in resolving the crisis.
Besides NPP, the Mizo National Front (MNF), another crucial partner of the BJP in the state, has demanded Biren Singh’s resignation as chief minister.
“Bhalla’s appointment is just the first step. We do not know if he understands the different sections of people in Manipur, so just appointing a former home secretary as the governor may not be enough. We would like to wait and watch,” Yumnam Joykumar Singh, NPP’s national vice president and former director general of police in Manipur, told The Federal.
Watch | Biren govt not seen as neutral, says NPP chief Joykumar
Message to Biren Singh
At this juncture, by appointing Bhalla, the Centre has sent a strong message to the chief minister – that it is appointing a person of its choice to restore peace in Manipur.
While the BJP has been under pressure from its NDA partners to fix the situation in Manipur, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) too on multiple occasions has goaded the Union government to take steps to end the series of violence in the state.
‘Key issues need resolution too’
“The appointment of governor is just the first step by the Union government. There are many more challenges for the new governor. His mere appointment is not going to end the problems of Manipur. The real issues are escalation of violence, distrust among different communities, and the issue of reservations. The new governor will have to talk to all the stakeholders including the underground workers to stop the cycle of violence and it is not an easy task,” RK Satapathy, department of political science, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, told The Federal.
Watch | When Manipur's brave women stood up against British rule: A story for the ages
Muslim outreach in Bihar
Meanwhile, the appointment of Khan as Bihar’s governor comes in the run up to the Assembly polls in 2025.
While Khan has been at loggerheads on several issues with the Kerala government under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the BJP-NDA leadership believes his appointment as the Bihar governor will only help the NDA in the state.
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“The appointment of Arif Mohammed Khan is a huge message to the people of Bihar ahead of the elections. It is a direct message to the Muslim community of Bihar that the BJP is working with the members of Muslim community and is willing to do so in future also. The appointment indicates an outreach by the BJP-NDA towards the Muslim community which should have a positive impact on the NDA before the polls,” a senior leader of Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) told The Federal.
Controversy’s child
Although Khan has courted controversies in the past over his endorsement for the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and abrogation of Article 370, senior JD(U) leaders believe these issues will not become a cause of problem between the NDA partners. The JD(U) is also hopeful that since Khan will be on a constitutional post, he will refrain from making such political comments.
Also read: Muslim groups seek BJP allies' help to scrap controversial Waqf Bill
Senior leaders of the JD(U) believe that the appointment of Khan will help the Bihar government under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to expand his outreach towards the Muslim community by talking to different sections of the community.
Why Nitish must woo Muslims
The real challenge for the Nitish Kumar government is that if it does not reach out to the Muslim community, it will not only lose a crucial voter base, but also the 18 per cent of Muslim vote to the INDIA Bloc alliance between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.
“It is not fair to comment on the governor because it is a constitutional post. The position of governor is above politics and Arif Mohammed Khan is a well-known intellectual of the Muslim community and talks about reforms in the community,” Arvind Nishad, national spokesperson of JD(U) told The Federal.
