Opinion In Manipur, extending President’s Rule is not a solution

In February this year, the N Biren Singh-led government’s failure to stanch ethnic violence since May 2023 prompted the Centre to intervene and impose President’s Rule in Manipur. The provision is intended as a temporary mechanism to ensure the governance of a state in which there has been a “failure of [the] constitutional machinery”. It is not designed to be a permanent solution or a substitute for a popular government. President’s Rule is a means to an end, not the end by itself. In this context, the government’s move to extend President’s Rule by another six months, scheduled in this Parliament session, raises questions about whether the Centre’s efforts so far have significantly advanced the objective of restoring normalcy in the state.

While it is reassuring that no major episode of violence has occurred since last November — when 22 people were killed over 11 days, most of them in Jiribam district — it is also true that there has been little progress in the dialogue between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. Three key issues require urgent resolution: Free movement, the relocation of internally displaced persons, and the circulation of weapons. In early March, Home Minister Amit Shah had called for unrestricted movement across Manipur in an effort to reverse the segregation of the two communities. However, that initiative collapsed on its very first day. According to this newspaper, fresh negotiations are now underway between the government and Kuki militant groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement to reach a deal that would allow free movement of people and goods. On relocation, former Manipur Chief Secretary P K Singh announced earlier this month that efforts are being made to resettle those displaced by the conflict in three phases, with the goal of completing the process by the end of the year. As per estimates from the Manipur Home Department, around 57,000 people continue to struggle in over 280 relief camps across the valley and the hills. Finally, despite the Governor’s efforts to curb the circulation of illegal weapons, roughly 3,000 looted arms are still unaccounted for.

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It is only natural for the people of Manipur to feel increasingly restless over the continued absence of a popular government. This is why the NDA’s Meitei and Naga MLAs have also been campaigning for months to push for its restoration, while Kuki-Zo groups are wary of the prospect of another partisan leader at the helm. The Centre may believe that extending President’s Rule is in the state’s best interest for now, but it needs to move with urgency to restart the political process. Simultaneously, it must take steps to curb the influence of militant groups on both sides that could derail attempts at reconciliation. Peace — and the return of the mediating role of politics — must no more be held hostage to entrenched ethnic rivalries.