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Journalism of Courage
ACKNOWLEDGING that the state and the Centre have not met the “expectations” of the public in Manipur, state Chief Minister N Biren Singh said this was reflected in the BJP’s defeat there in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections. Accepting responsibility for that defeat — Congress won both seats — he said, in an interview to The Indian Express, that it was time for him to work with “even more conviction.”
This was the first election that Singh and the BJP faced after the ethnic violence broke out in the state a year ago in May 2023. The Inner Manipur constituency was won by Congress’s Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a professor from Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, who defeated his BJP rival; the Outer Manipur reserved seat went to Congress’s Alfred Kanngam Arthur who defeated his rival from the Naga People’s Front, a BJP ally.
Asked if he considers the result as a verdict against him, Singh said, “Why not? As Chief Minister, I must take full responsibility.”
He acknowledged that Manipuris in the valley and the hills are upset with the governments at the state and the Centre for not meeting “public expectations” on law and order.
“In the last year, due to the complexity of the violence, neither the state nor Central government has been able to take strong actions against the groups on both sides. This has led to dissatisfaction amongst the valley people with both governments (in the state and at the Centre). Although law and order is a state issue, the Central Forces play a key role here, yet we are not meeting public expectations. This is why we lost in the valley. In the outer areas, similar sentiments exist. However, resolving the issues in Manipur is complex, and many don’t understand the core problems. Identifying and addressing these core issues is key to solving the violence,” he said.
Singh said that now the Lok Sabha elections are over, he’s hopeful that after government formation, the central leadership would intervene to solve Manipur’s issues.
Asked how he would like the Centre to intervene, he said, “The working style (has to change). Central forces (here in Manipur) must actively support the state government’s initiatives and help convince the original tribal people that the (state) government is not against them, but is targeting outsiders who came after 1961.”
Even though he takes responsibility for the defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, Singh is firm on remaining CM. Asked if he would now resign, said: “No. Some have tried to break me and my state. My job is to legally punish them. My team knows the issues faced by indigenous Manipuris, including Nagas. This is the time to work with more conviction… If I leave, their path is clear. Why should we give in to enemies?”
Asked if he anticipates a change in the Centre’s handling of the Manipur situation in the wake of the increased importance of allies in the current composition of the NDA government, he said, “I don’t think there will be any changes. The (state) government’s actions, like identifying illegal migrants and deportation, are under constitutional provisions. If you heard their speeches in Parliament, (Chandrababu) Naidu ji and Nitish Kumar ji have shown strong support for Modi ji. They trust him completely, which strengthens NDA. There will be no division or differences.”
