The BJP-led alliance in Manipur was in good fortune on paper. It had no real danger of losing its majority as it enjoyed a comfortable majority in the Assembly with 54 of 60 members. But for months the state remained without a government. Failing is political, not arithmetic, critics say
Ethnic violence erupted in May 2023, setting the stage for the crisis. Congress has challenged the Centre for its failure to do its duty towards Manipur and Northeast. Only after 77 days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke up. In July 2024, Inner Manipur MP Bimol Akoijam claimed to stay away from the state since May 2023. Opposition parties also demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah resign; he stayed in office.
The leadership of the State is also blamed by analysts. In a Tribune commentary, it is suggested that the BJP’s own allies deserted N. Biren Singh after his government pursued a politics that brought the Meiteis into one-fold and ignored Manipur’s wealth of other tribes. If the government is seen as taking sides, it won’t be able to restore confidence between ethnic groups, critics say.
The problems did not go away after President’s Rule was lifted in February and a new Government came into power. In July, BJP lawmaker L. Susindro Meitei had made a public statement that the government’s performance had slipped since the advent of elected government. The opposition’s allegation of “drift” becomes more difficult to refute when the ruling party itself claims this.
Now the Centre has pledged to bring an end to insurgencies in the Northeast by 2029, first in Manipur. There is a question here about why it took a government, which was powerful at both levels, so long to honour the state as a priority. It wasn’t the big numbers that were the issue. What they lacked, they say, is political will.
On the other side: The government denies this image. Amit Shah stated that violence has drastically decreased in the Northeast and that Rs 3.45 lakh crore worth of investment has been made in the area. Its defenders also say that conflict between communities can’t be quickly solved, and restoring an elected government in February was a step in the right direction. Both accounts are true. Readers are urged to verify both sets of claims with independent information on issues of violence, expenditure, displacement and accountability.
