Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh resigns; decision taken after meeting Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh has resigned. The unexpected announcement of resignation came after he arrived in New Delhi and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He reached Raj Bhavan in the evening and submitted his resignation letter to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. The Chief Minister met the Governor along with some members of his cabinet.

In the wake of the riots in Manipur, there was a strong demand for a change of leadership. However, the party's central leadership had not yet reached a decision on this. Biren Singh's resignation comes as the budget session of the state assembly is set to begin on Monday.

MLAs from the Kuki community in Manipur had met members of the central leadership several times in the past, demanding the change of the chief minister. The resignation comes as the Congress is set to move a no-confidence motion in the House tomorrow when the budget session begins.

Some central leaders had also demanded Biren Singh's resignation in connection with the Manipur riots. The state government had failed to control the riots in the state when they broke out. Following this, Biren Singh had to face widespread criticism.

It was after a year and a half that Biren Singh apologised to the public in a press conference for the people for the problems that arose during the beginning of the riots. Despite opposition from several state and central leaders, Biren Singh remained in power with the support of a dominant section of the party's central leadership.