Twenty-one months since the start of the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, Chief Minister Biren Singh submitted his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Imphal on Sunday evening. Singh had left Imphal for Delhi – the second such trip to the national capital this week – on Saturday evening. He made this trip without any of his cabinet colleagues.
According to sources, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held an almost two-hour meeting on Sunday, where BJP national president J P Nadda was also present. Singh flew back to Imphal on Sunday afternoon along with the BJP’s Northeast Coordinator Sambit Patra.
On Sunday evening, Singh, Patra and other senior Manipur BJP leaders, including cabinet ministers , met Governor Ajau Kumar Bhalla, where Singh submitted his resignation. Singh’s resignation has been a long-discussed matter in the BJP, which let him continue despite his alleged role in the violence in the state that led to over 200 killings.
His resignation comes amidst a renewed political churn in Manipur ahead of the assembly session, which is scheduled to begin on Monday.The trigger for the resignation is the recent Supreme Court order where the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) has been directed to submit a report on the veracity of the “leaked audio tapes” where Singh is purportedly boasting about his role in the Manipur violence.
Singh, a majority Meitei leader, has been at the centre of a long ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki groups in the state with the latter seeking his ouster. Ahead of the submission of the CFSL report to the Supreme Court, which has sought it in a sealed cover given the sensitivity of the matter, Singh on Sunday met the governor and put in his papers.
“I Nongthombam Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur, am submitting my resignation herewith. It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far. I am extremely grateful to the Central government for timely actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interest of every single Manipuri. My sincere request to the Central government through your good office is to continue with the same,” the resignation letter reads.
Meanwhile, on Friday Congress announced it will be moving a no-confidence motion against Biren Singh in the Assembly. Atleast 12 BJP MLAs from Manipur, who had been upset with Biren’s leadership has urged the party leadership for a change of Chief Minister.
