Biren Singh says won’t resign as Manipur Chief Minister amid big show of support

Manipur,June 30: Manipur saw fast-paced developments on Friday after reports emerged that Chief Minister N Biren Singh would tender his resignation. The chief minister was slated to meet the governor at 3 pm. However, after locals tore his resignation letter and protested against his plan to resign from the CM’s post, Biren Singh clarified that he would not be quitting.

Earlier, a report by an Imphal-based daily said the Manipur CM was told he could either quit or the Centre would step in and take over.

Reacting to the report, a crowd of women gathered outside the Manipur Chief Minister’s secretariat and Raj Bhavan, urging Biren Singh not to resign.

They asked the Chief Minister to take a “firm stand against the troublemakers” instead, according to news agency PTI.

In a recent incident of violence in Manipur, three people were killed during an exchange of fire between security forces and suspected rioters on Thursday.

The demand for the Centre’s intervention in Manipur has been a prominent demand by protestors and political parties for weeks now. A month ago, members of Manipur’s Kuki community asked the Central government to bring normalcy in Manipur, after losing faith in the chief minister.

In June, nine BJP legislators from Manipur also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the people of the state had lost complete faith in the N Biren Singh-led government.

The ongoing ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur have resulted in over 100 deaths till now.

The violence initially erupted on May 3 following the organization of a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in the hill districts.

 Fresh violence in Manipur, tear gas shells fired in Imphal

The march was a response to the Meitei community’s call for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, which saw strong opposition from the tribal Kuki community. The clashes between the two groups have since escalated.

-PTI