New Delhi (TIP)- N Biren Singh, chief minister of Manipur, a state that has been roiled by ethnic violence for close to two straight months with little end in sight, seemed to begin the process of resigning on Friday, June 30, afternoon, before protesters that collected outside his Imphal home prevented him from proceeding to the Governor’s residence 200 metres away, following which he “clarified” he would not demit office. The dramatic scenes outside Singh’s chief ministerial bungalow saw thousands of Meitei women gathering outside his home from the morning as rumours swirled; they raised slogans hailing him; and they tore a sheet of paper that contained his resignation, which was brought out and read by Singh’s cabinet colleague.
Images of that torn letter, on Singh’s letter-head, were circulated widely, as if to show the world at large that Singh was not being allowed to resign. And soon after, the chief minister put out a clarification on Twitter, saying he would not quit at this “critical juncture”.
There was no immediate comment by the Union home ministry, which is believed to have prevailed on Singh to resign after a series of phone calls on Thursday.
By 10.30 on Friday morning, spurred by local news reports that Singh intended to meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey and tender his resignation, supporters, most of them women, gathered in front of the Nupi-Lal memorial complex in Imphal in front of Singh’s residence. They said that they had heard that he intended to resign and that the current situation could not be fixed by such a move. Ima Leirikleima, one of the elderly Meitei women at the protest said: “This is the time for Chief Minister N Biren Singh to stand firm.”
Another protester said, “We are protesting to stop CM N Biren Singh from resigning. He is highlighting our issues, which we appreciate. He is working not only for Manipur but for the whole nation.”
Singh is a Meitei himself, and his response to the ethnic strife in the state — many analysts believe he has been openly partisan — has only increased his standing in the community.
At around 2.20 in the afternoon, Singh emerged from his residence and attempted to drive off to the Raj Bhavan, all of 200 metres away, but was stopped by doing so by the crowds. Before this, Singh was joined at his residence by several cabinet colleagues that still back him, who emerged with him.
Greeted with slogans in his support, Singh then returned inside. Minutes later, a group of ministers led by consumer affairs minister L Susindro emerged with a piece of paper. Using a mike, and speaking to an increasingly agitated crowd, Susindro read out Singh’s resignation letter that read, “Honourable Governor Madam, I hereby submit my resignation as Chief Minister of Manipur. I thank you for your cooperation and guidance during the past few months.” An elderly woman then took that piece of paper and tore it.
Soon after, Singh took to Twitter to say: “At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister.”
From May 3, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic clashes, triggered by an order by the Manipur high court that recommended to the government that the Meiteis, the dominant community in Manipur with 53% of the population, be included in the scheduled tribe list. This caused protests among the tribal population, particularly the Kukis, and tensions lead to clashes that were first concentrated in Meitei dominated Imphal Valley and districts in the hills like Churachandpur that have a heavy tribal population, but soon spread across the state. In three violent days between May 3 and 6, there was a wave of attacks and arson with people fleeing from their homes, and the army called in to control the situation. Since then however, in a sign of the simmering tension within, sporadic violence has continued, with at least 117 dead, over 300 injured, and nearly 50,000 displaced from their homes.
Source: HT