Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned on Wednesday, marking a momentous change for the state that witnessed ethnic violence two years in the past, amidst growing disgruntlement of the state BJP over his continuing leadership and prospect of a Congress no-confidence motion. Singh called on Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and submitted his resignation in a formal meeting this evening, after which the budget session of the Manipur assembly scheduled to begin today was cancelled.
The Congress has described the resignation as a vindication of its persistent demand for change of leadership. Even though the BJP retains its parliamentary majority, internal rebellion- especially of about 12 MLAs pressing for change-had presented the threat of defiance against the party whip in any floor test that might have come about.
To prevent further rebellion, in a strategic move, Singh met the central party leaders in Delhi in the early morning, including BJP chief JP Nadda and Union Minister Amit Shah. The ones who had sought the change of leadership reportedly included several disgruntled members who had grievances over their equation with both the Speaker and the Chief Minister.
However, the specter of a no-confidence motion by Congress made Singh’s resignation an urgent affair as party sources indicated that some MLAs might have opted to skip a floor test altogether. Buoyed by recent electoral successes in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Delhi, the BJP tried to avoid a crisis that would dent its positive political narrative.
While declaring the resignation, Sharda Devi, the president of the Manipur BJP, said Singh did not want to “compromise on the integrity of the state and the welfare of the public.” She added that since Singh assumed charge in 2017, he worked for the development of Manipur, though the name of Singh’s successor is yet to be announced.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also reacted on X: “He has gone because the people were pressing for his resignation, the probe by the Supreme Court was ongoing, and of course, there was also the no-confidence motion. It’s a fact that he has divided Manipur. I am sad that Prime Minister Modi did nothing when such violence and lawlessness occurred.
This is a very sad but necessary moment. Singh had to quit after the party vigorously demanded his removal since violence started in May 2023,” Jairam Ramesh of Congress said. He also condemned the Prime Minister for not being able to visit Manipur for one single day during the crisis situation.
The protests against Singh intensified after a complaint from the Kuki community alleged the chief minister had incited the riots. Audio recordings that were leaked out seemingly supported the claim, with confirmation from a private forensic laboratory that the voices on the recording matched Singh’s voice with 93 percent accuracy. A report about these audio recordings has since been requested by the Supreme Court from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory.
