Let peace return to Manipur

The country is eagerly waiting to see if peace will be restored in Manipur with Biren Singh's resignation. Before resigning as Chief Minister, Biren Singh apologized to the people and said he regretted the protracted ethnic violence. What the people expect from a Chief Minister is not just to admit mistakes or apologize. Rather, they expect adequate protection for their lives and property. Failing that, apologizing is like pouring water on a spilled pot. Biren Singh's words while apologizing a few weeks ago were as follows: "I feel regret and I want to say sorry to the people of the state. Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I really feel regret. I would like to apologise. Now, I hope after seeing the last 3-4 months' progress towards peace, I hope that with the New Year 2025, normalcy and peace will be restored in the state. We now have to forget past mistakes and have to start a new life. A peaceful Manipur, a prosperous Manipur, we should all live together"

Even when Biren Singh admits mistakes, in these words, there is confidence in his ability to continue as Chief Minister. However, Biren Singh's resignation was due to the failure of all means to hold on as the rebel army gathered in his own party, the BJP, just as the Congress was about to move the no-confidence motion. There was a communal riot in Manipur. There have been riots in the past in many phases. However, there has never been a communal riot that lasted for two years and caused such widespread loss of life and property. No matter what the riot, if a Chief Minister cannot stop it even after days have passed, he is not fit to sit in that chair. The riots in Manipur were between the majority Meitei community and the Kuki community living in the hills.

The riots were sparked by the Manipur High Court order directing the state government to include the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes. According to official figures, more than 250 people have lost their lives so far. The Kuki community had been alleging from the beginning that Chief Minister Biren Singh, who is from the Meitei community, was instigating and aiding the violence. An audio tape of a conversation allegedly held by Biren Singh in which he was implicated in the Manipur riots was leaked. With this, the Centre also became convinced that what the Kuki community was making was not just an allegation but a fact.

It was only when not only the BJP's Kuki MLAs but also about twenty MLAs from the Meitei faction met the Union Home Minister demanding Biren Singh's resignation that the BJP central leadership realized that if he did not resign, he would be defeated in a no-confidence vote and expelled. Manipur would not have been burning like this if the Centre had decided to change the Chief Minister or impose the President's rule in the first months of the riots. Every step taken by the Centre from now on is of utmost importance. Manipur's return to peace will be based on that.