Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Discusses Current State Crisis with NDTV

There have been speculations about a leadership change in Manipur since the BJP lost both seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Congress candidates won the seats from the ruling BJP and its ally Naga People’s Front (NPF).

Chief Minister Singh attributed the loss to a “rebellious situation” and public anger over his handling of the crisis. He acknowledged the complexity of the situation and the public’s dissatisfaction with the handling of the crisis, which arose from ethnic violence between the Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur.

The ethnic violence that erupted on May 3 last year has caused over 200 deaths and displaced 50,000 people. Despite Mr. Singh downplaying the crisis, Kuki groups are demanding a separate Union Territory for their community, a demand that he dismissed, citing the historical significance of Manipur and the current working state of schools, business, and traffic.

Mr. Singh also mentioned that the Manipur issue is a priority for the new central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The opposition has highlighted the situation in Manipur in Parliament, using its recently gained strength in defying expectations and stopping the BJP from reaching its target of 370 Lok Sabha seats.

The new statistics show the INDIA alliance with 232 members and the BJP with 240, along with allies covering the remaining seats in the Lok Sabha. Previous attempts to influence the party leadership have not yielded results amidst the ongoing crisis and tensions in Manipur.