Manipur Gets New Chief Minister After Year Under President’s Rule As BJP Appoints Yumnam Khemchand Singh
· Free Press Journal
After a year of political limbo, when the state was under President’s rule, strife-torn Manipur has a chief minister again. The BJP has picked Meitei MLA, former minister and ex-speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh to be the CM. He is known to be in the camp against former Chief Minister Biren Singh, and his name had been doing the rounds for some time.
Deputy CMs and ministry finalised
Under the BJP’s peace formula, the state will have two deputy chief ministers, one from the Kuki-Zo community and one from alliance partner Naga People’s Front. The BJP has also finalised the names of five ministers, including MLA Govindas Konthoujam, who is tipped to be the home minister and is considered close to Biren Singh.
Background to President’s rule
Manipur was placed under President’s rule in February last year amid ethnic tensions and rampant factionalism, though the BJP was in the majority. Biren Singh had become extremely unpopular for his handling of the violence that ravaged the state for two years, and a section of party MLAs had threatened to quit and join the Congress.
Assembly numbers and party strength
The BJP has 32 MLAs, including seven from the Kuki-Zo community, in the 60-member Assembly. After the 2022 Assembly elections, five Janata Dal (United) MLAs joined the BJP, taking its effective strength to 37. The Assembly also has six MLAs from Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party, which withdrew support for the BJP amid the ethnic violence. However, the NPP continues to support the BJP at the Centre. The Kuki People’s Alliance, another former BJP ally, has two MLAs. The Congress has five legislators, and there are three independents.
Fresh challenge over Kuki-Zo demands
The BJP and the government at the Centre face a fresh challenge as the party’s seven Kuki-Zo MLAs are firm on receiving a written assurance for their demand for a Union territory with a legislature before the current Assembly’s tenure ends in 2027. The Meitei legislators, however, firmly oppose this demand for a separate Union territory.
Roots of the ethnic unrest
The unrest in Manipur, which began in May 2023 over a High Court order asking the state to consider Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community, led to over 250 deaths and the displacement of nearly 60,000 people. The violence plunged the state into an ethnic firestorm and caused an irrevocable rift between the largely Hindu Meitei community and the Christian-tribal Kukis.
Violence, blame and divided regions
The violence continued for months, with then chief minister Biren Singh blamed for fuelling ethnic strife. The Centre was also held responsible for not stepping in to curb the unrest in a timely fashion and allowing tensions to fester. The Imphal valley is largely populated by the Meiteis, while the Kukis dominate the hills, and their strongholds have now become no-go areas for each other.
Need for peace
Manipur is in sore need of a dose of peace.