Biren Singh Resigned to Promote Peace in Manipur: Former Minister

Imphal, Feb 15 (NationPress) Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh stepped down on February 9 to advance the peace initiatives in Manipur, according to senior BJP MLA Leishangthem Susindro Meitei, who previously served as a cabinet minister in the Singh-led administration.

Meitei, who held the Ministerial role for Public Health Engineering Department and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, remarked on Saturday that some individuals in the state believe that the BJP was unable to establish a new government following Singh's resignation due to numerous candidates vying for the position.

“In reality, Biren Singh resigned from his role as chief minister with the hope that this decision would aid in restoring peace in the state plagued by ethnic violence,” Meitei, a close associate of Singh, expressed to the press.

“There are various legislators and leaders who possess the capabilities to assume the role of chief minister, but the position is limited. As such, a sacrifice is necessary, and Biren Singh has made that sacrifice for the greater good of Manipur,” he stated.

Meitei noted that peace in the region has frequently been undermined by both known and unknown factions through attacks involving firearms and explosives.

“We suspect that the recent events were orchestrated in advance. Biren Singh desired peace, and I believe he resigned to promote it.” Singh, who led the BJP-dominated government since the party first took control by defeating the Congress in the 2017 assembly elections, resigned on February 9, shortly after returning from a meeting in Delhi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J P Nadda.

In the 60-seat Assembly, the BJP holds 37 MLAs, with five out of six Janata Dal (United) legislators having joined the party. Additionally, five Naga People’s Front (NPF) MLAs and three independents are supporting the BJP administration. The BJP’s northeastern in-charge Sambit Patra, who accompanied Singh to Imphal on February 9, subsequently held numerous discussions with former ministers, MLAs, leaders, and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to address the leadership dilemma.

After the BJP was unable to reach an agreement regarding a new Chief Minister, the Governor advised the President to implement President’s rule in the state, placing the assembly under suspended animation, which means the assembly can be reinstated at a later date as determined by the President of India.

Opposition Congress leaders, including state Party President Keisham Meghachandra Singh, have also claimed that the leadership impasse within the BJP, alongside its inability to reach a consensus on a chief minister candidate, resulted in the imposition of President’s rule in the state.