Manipur CM N Biren Singh resigns nearly two years after ethnic violence, submits resignation to Governor

After meeting the governor, Singh went to the CM secretariat. He was accompanied by BJP president A Sharda, BJP's North East Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra, along with at least 19 MLAs.“It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur so far,” Singh said in his resignation letter.

It was honour to serve people of Manipur: Biren Singh 

In his letter to the governor, Singh said, "It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far. I am extremely grateful to the central government for time actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interests of every single Manipuri."

The meeting was held in the wake of the opposition Congress seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the government led by Singh.

“I am extremely grateful to the Central government for timely actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interest of every single Manipuri,” he further said in the letter. He urged the Central government to continue with the same.

"I take the opportunity to enumerate the most important ones of them: To maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur which has a rich and diverse civilizational history over thousands of years. To crack down on border infiltration and to formulate policy for the deportation of the illegal immigrants. To continue the fight against drugs and narco terrorism. To continue the stringent and fool-proof revised mechanism of FMR with the biometric being stringently applied. Time bound and faster border which is underway," Singh's letter read.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in Delhi earlier today.In 2022, Biren Singh took the oath as the CM of Manipur following NDA alliance comfortable victory with 32 seats in the 60-member House in the Assembly polls. The Congress had bagged five seats and the NPP won seven seats. Naga People's Front bagged five and the Kuki People's Alliance got two seats. Independents bagged three seats in that elections. The NDA ally JD(U) had won six seats. However, five of its MLAs later switched to the BJP. 

Governor orders upcoming Manipur Assembly session 'null and void'

The 7th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, set to commence from February 10, has been declared "null and void" with immediate effect, according to a notice issued by Assembly secretary K Meghajit Singh on Sunday.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Governor of Manipur, hereby order that the previous directive to summon the 7th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, which has yet to commence, is hereby declared null and void with immediate effect," the notice added.

Know more about Manipur violence 

The violence between the Meitei and the Kuki communities in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023, following the Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh left for Delhi on Saturday evening (February 8) on a chartered flight, officials said. The purpose of his visit to the national capital is not known. 

Earlier in the day, Singh convened a meeting with BJP-led ruling alliance MLAs at the CM Secretariat in connection with the upcoming assembly session beginning on February 10.

At least 20 MLAs were present in the meeting at the CM Secretariat, the officials said. The meeting was held in the wake of the opposition Congress seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the government led by Singh.