NPP withdraws support for N Biren Singh’s govt over failure to resolve Manipur crisis

In the last few days, the situation in Manipur has worsened, with several more innocent lives being lost to the ongoing violence

The National People's Party (NPP) announced on November 17 that it is withdrawing its support for the BJP-led government in violence-hit Manipur with immediate effect.

In an official communique issued by the party, NPP stated that the N Biren Singh dispensation has “completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy” in Manipur, leading to their decision to withdraw support for the ruling party.

The NPP has 7 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur assembly.

In the last few days, the situation in Manipur has worsened, with several more innocent lives being lost to the ongoing violence. People in the state are “going through immense suffering”, the NPP wrote in a letter to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda.

“We strongly feel that the Manipur state government under the leadership of Shri Biren Singh has completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy,” the letter stated.

“Keeping the current situation in mind, the National People's Party has decided to withdraw its support to the Biren Singh government in state of Manipur, with immediate effect," it added.

In a related development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reviewed the security situation in the northeastern state and directed top officials to take all necessary steps to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur.

Shah held the meeting soon after he returned from Maharashtra after cancelling his election rallies there.

Manipur has been reeling under ethnic strife since May last year, which has deteriorated recently following protests and violence after the recovery of bodies of women and children. The fresh incidents of violent protests took place on Saturday night despite indefinite curfew being in place; people were agitated by the killing of three women and three children by militants in Jiribam district.

Irate mobs set ablaze the residences of three more BJP legislators, one of whom is a senior minister, even as security forces foiled an attempt to storm the ancestral residence of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

The houses of PWD Minister Govindas Konthoujam at Ningthoukhong, Hiyanglam's BJP MLA Y Radheshyam at Langmeidong Bazar, Wangjing Tentha's BJP MLA Paonam Brojen in Thoubal district, and Khundrakpam's Congress MLA Th Lokeshwar in Imphal East district were torched too.

The Manipur Police on November 11 claimed 10 suspected militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces after insurgents in camouflage uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons fired indiscriminately at Borobekra Police Station and an adjacent CRPF camp at Jakuradhor in Jiribam district.

Hours later, suspected militants allegedly abducted six civilians, including women and children, from the same district, police had claimed.

The Centre had on Thursday reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Manipur's six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam.

More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.

It started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by the clashes in Imphal Valley and the adjoining hills, witnessed violence after the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year.