New Delhi: Amid objections from opposition benches, which demanded that a popular government be installed in Manipur, the Centre Wednesday passed the statutory resolution in the Lok Sabha extending the President’s Rule in the ethnically torn north-eastern state by another six months from 13 August.
The President’s Rule was imposed 13 February for a period of three months after Biren Singh stepped down as chief minister. The state assembly was put in suspended animation and former Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla was appointed the governor. The President’s Rule was further extended for another three months on 12 April.
Participating in a brief discussion after junior home minister Nityanand Rai moved the resolution to extend the President’s Rule, opposition members objected to the extension and called for dissolution of the state assembly. Congress’ Anto Antony called the Manipur violence a “man-made disaster.”
Antony blamed the “inefficiency of the BJP government” for the collapse of governance in the state. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on Manipur is a reflection of the BJP’s lack of political will and absence of administrative efficiency.
A. Bimol Akoijam, the Congress MP from Inner Manipur, urged the government to treat the Manipur issue as seriously as issues like the Pahalgam attack.
Strongly objecting to the extension of President’s Rule, Akoijam demanded the dissolution of the state assembly. “The rule of the people and the will of the state must have a say rather than dictating terms even if it is a small state,” he said.
He charged the Union government for being hand-in-glove with the state government in its actions in Manipur. “The previous CM said that he was acting under the advice of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.”
Calling the President’s Rule “almost illegitimate morally,” Akoijam said that instead of the President’s Rule being continued, they should have a fresh mandate in Manipur. He also demanded that a JPC be constituted and accountability be fixed so the people of Manipur do not feel like they are neglected.
Responding to the opposition’s charges, Rai said that Manipur was an instance of community/caste violence sparked by the release of a report in the state. He said that since the imposition of President’s Rule, there has been only one instance of violence. “This is a confirmation of the peace machinery active in the state,” the Minister of State said.
With the situation continuing to be volatile, the Centre decided to extend the President’s Rule by another six months and use the time to initiate dialogue between the Kuki and Meitei communities and restore normalcy in the state.
“This House approves the continuance in force of the Proclamation, dated the 13th February, 2025, in respect of Manipur, issued under Article 356 of the Constitution by the President, for a further period of six months with effect from 13th August, 2025,” reads the statutory resolution moved by the minister.
Article 356(2) of the Constitution allows for the extension of the President’s Rule for six months each with the approval of Parliament. President’s Rule can be extended for up to three years.
Ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on 3 May 2023 following a tribal solidarity march by the Kuki-Zo community at Churachandpur to protest the proposed move to give Scheduled Tribe status to the non-tribal Meiteis. The violence has so far claimed over 250 lives and displaced approximately 60,000 people.
The conflict has led to a complete segregation of the two main communities—the predominantly Hindu Meiteis and the tribal Kuki Zo Chin. While the Kukis have fled the Imphal Valley, the Meiteis have fled from the hills.
Though incidents of violence have come down in Manipur since the imposition of President’s Rule in February, the ground situation continues to be volatile.
Movement of passenger traffic on the two main national highways has remained disrupted. It remains out of bounds to the Meiteis, who have to travel by air if they want to go out of the state. The state government did try to open the national highways but were not successful.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs have been demanding installation of a popular government for a while now but with the party a divided house, the Centre is not too confident if it’s the right time to stake claim.
“Right now, our priority is to bring back normalcy in Manipur. The Centre has had a round of meetings with civic society groups from both the communities and the political leaders in the state with the aim to restore normalcy,” a senior Manipur government official told ThePrint.
The Union home ministry is also having meetings with the representatives from Kuki-Zo insurgent groups, with whom it had signed the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement to extend the pact, which had lapsed in February.
The agreement was first signed on 22nd August, 2008 by the Centre, the Manipur government, Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF), which together represented 25 insurgent groups comprising Kuki-Zo, to initiate political dialogue with the armed groups operating in the state to end hostilities and settle their demands for a separate homeland.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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