Manipur: Only solution is Biren Singh's resignation, 19 BJP MLAs tell PM Modi

The clamour to remove Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh is again getting louder, with 19 BJP legislators suggesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the replacement of the incumbent CM is the only solution to the ongoing ethnic strife in the state.

Sources told The Federal that the legislators led by Manipur Assembly speaker Th Satyabrata wrote a six-page letter to PM Narendra Modi immediately after the conclusion of the recent meeting the Home Ministry held with Meitei, Kuki and Naga MLAs at New Delhi's Khan Market on Tuesday.

The Meitei and Kuki MLAs reportedly even conveyed to the Home Ministry the need to remove Singh to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

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Kuki MLAs, who met ministry officials separately, insisted that replacing the chief minister is a prerequisite for starting a dialogue. Four out of 10 Kuki MLAs attended the Delhi meeting.

The letter to the PM was signed only by MLAs belonging to the Meitei Community. A select portion of the letter made available to The Federal showed Ministers Th Bishwajit and Y Khemchand were also the signatories to the letter. Name of other signatories are not known immediately.

Stating that deployment of security forces alone cannot bring about a solution, the MLAs told the Prime Minister that they feel " replacement of the incumbent CM is the only solution" in the context of the dynamics of the conflict.

The MLAs, sources said, are facing baclash in their constituency for failing to resolve the conflict, raging since May last year.

“At this juncture, the people of Manipur are raising questions to us, in particular the BJP-led government, as to why peace and normalcy cannot be restored, and the plight of people could not be alleviated yet,” the letter read.

“The longer the conflict continues, the more irreparable will be the damage and blot on India as a nation. Only dialogue and meaningful engagement in a multi-pronged manner can sow the seed of reconciliation and peace. The need of the hour is to examine the crucial factors that are hampering the initiation of dialogues and to take action to create a conducive atmosphere that will facilitate the same," the letter stated.

MLA's mum on letter

The MLAs, however, are tightlipped about the letter.

This is not the first time that a section of BJP MLAs from Meitei community moved the party's central leadership to replace Biren Singh.

Earlier in June a section of MLAs went to New Delhi to press for leadership change. But the central leadership, particularly Union home ministet Amit Shah, so far stood behind Biren Singh. BJP has 32 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly.