Manipur: BJP’s balancing act between CM Biren Singh and dissidents, tribal sentiments and rule of law, gets tougher

Manipur CM N Biren Singh. (File image)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Manipur led by N Biren Singh completed six years in office in March. In the state assembly elections held last year, the saffron party for the first time secured a majority on its own and Biren became the Chief Minister for the second time. In the second term too, the troubles seem to be unending for the CM and his government.

Dissidents Vs Biren

On April 13, the MLA of Heirok constituency, Thokchom Radheshyam Singh, resigned from the post of chief advisor to the CM, complaining that he wasn’t given any responsibility. Within a fortnight, there were three more resignations of party MLAs from government posts. The three other leaders were Langthabal legislator Karam Shyam, Wangjing Tentha MLA P Brojen Singh and Khwairakpam Raghumani who represents Uripok. Like Radheshyam, Karam Shyam, who resigned from the chairman’s post of the Tourism Corporation of Manipur, alleged that he received no responsibility.

The four MLAs proceeded to camp in Delhi and they even had a meeting with Union minister of state for development of the Northeastern region  BL Verma. Although Biren brushed aside the dissidence within the party, the developments don’t suggest so. The resignations and the allegations that they were not given responsibilities clearly indicate that they were unhappy with the CM. The party had to send its coordinator for Northeast states Sambit Patra to handle the situation.

Not The First Time

In the first Biren Singh government, which depended on allies like Naga People’s Front, National People’s Party and Lok Janshakti Party, both Radheshyam and Karam Shyam – who was then the lone MLA of LJP – were ministers but were later removed by the CM in 2020. Before that in June 2019 there were reports of many party MLAs sending petitions to PM Narendra Modi and the then national party president Amit Shah to remove Biren as the CM. In 2020, NPP withdrew its support from the Biren Singh-led government alleging that he was running it in an autocratic manner, although it rejoined the ministry later.

So the latest episode has a familiar ring to it for the BJP high command as the allegations against Biren Singh for autocratic style of functioning – and rebellions – aren’t new. What complicates matters further for the saffron party is the presence of many contenders for the post of CM. The contenders are power minister Thongam Bishwajit Singh, PWD minister Govindas Konthoujam and education minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh. This power struggle was the main reason that the party took over 10 days after assembly elections results to reappoint Biren as CM.

Tensions With Kuki Groups

To make the optics worse for Biren has been the almost concurrent occurrence of violence in the Kuki tribe-dominated Churachandpur district, following a call for shutdown by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum, an alliance of recognised tribes in the district. The violence resulted from anger among the Kukis against eviction drives carried out by the government in some villages.

According to the government, eviction drives are done as these settlements have sprung up on encroached reserved forest land. They are also angry with the recent demolition of three churches by the government, which said that these were built on government land without any permission.

There is nothing wrong in acting against illegal settlements and constructions on government land or reserved forest lands. However, it is also the duty of the government to do so by taking the locals into confidence to address their concerns regarding the government action plan to avoid the kind of violence seen in the sensitive Churachandpur district. The developments indicate that there was a communication gap between the locals and the government.

The anger of the Kukis is also due to the state government's withdrawal from the suspension of operation agreements with two Kuki insurgent groups – Kuki National Army and Zomi Revolutionary Army. The Biren government has been acting against poppy cultivation – and it believes that this hasn't gone well with these insurgent groups.

The rise of the Kuki insurgency is rooted in the Kuki-Naga ethnic divide. The withdrawal of the ceasefire by the state government with Kuki insurgents has the potential to disturb the peace of the hills, where the Nagas also reside.

Continuing Plains-Hills Divide

It has to mentioned that even before the withdrawal of the ceasefire, the Kukis were already unhappy as they felt that the Centre was ignoring their demands of providing some kind of self-determination while holding Naga peace talks with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), the main Naga insurgent group.

Amid this, an order from the Manipur High Court directing the state government to recommend the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list has again brought to the fore the already existing fault lines between the plain-dwelling Meiteis and the tribals living in the hills.

For the peace and development of the state, the plain-hill divide has to be lessened but allegations of “tribal persecutions” against the government, already weakened by internal dissent, are only going to create problems. It is time for Chief Minister Biren Singh to engage with every section of the population, including his own party MLAs.

Sagarneel Sinha is a political commentator and tweets @SagarneelSinha. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.