President’s Rule In Manipur Is Belated Admission By BJP: Rahul Gandhi

The imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur has been described by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a belated admission by the BJP of their complete inability to govern the state. Mr Gandhi asserted that Prime Minister Modi can no longer deny his direct responsibility for the situation in Manipur, questioning whether he will finally visit the state and explain his plan to restore peace and normalcy.

“The imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur is a belated admission by the BJP of their complete inability to govern in Manipur. Now, PM Modi can no longer deny his direct responsibility for Manipur. Has he finally made up his mind to visit the state, and explain to the people of Manipur and India his plan to restore peace and normalcy?,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Manipur, which has been grappling with violence for nearly two years and facing a constitutional crisis, was brought under President’s Rule. This decision came days after the Chief Minister, N Biren Singh, resigned ahead of a threatened no-confidence motion and floor test by the Congress party. This marks the eleventh time President’s Rule has been imposed in Manipur since 1951.
President Droupadi Murmu’s office issued a communique stating that after receiving a report from Governor Ajay Bhalla, and considering the report and other information, she was satisfied that the state government could no longer be carried on in accordance with the Constitution. The central government’s move followed the state BJP’s failure to reach a consensus on a new Chief Ministerial candidate and the consequent inability to convene the assembly.

Mr Singh’s resignation, submitted to the Governor after meeting with central BJP leaders in Delhi, came amidst significant internal dissent. Despite discussions held in Imphal with party MLAs by the BJP’s northeast in-charge, Sambit Patra, a decision on a new leader could not be reached. The BJP had hoped to appoint a new Chief Minister after Prime Minister Modi’s return from his visit to the US.

However, the delay in convening the state assembly threatened to breach the constitutionally mandated six-month limit. Article 174(1) of the Constitution stipulates that state assemblies must meet within six months of their last sitting. In Manipur’s case, the last sitting was on 12 August 2024. The budget session, initially scheduled to begin on Monday, was postponed indefinitely following the Chief Minister’s resignation.

With the deadline for convening the Assembly looming, President’s Rule was declared.
Mr Patra clarified that the state assembly is under suspended animation, not dissolved. This eleventh instance of Article 356 being imposed in Manipur places the state directly under Union government rule after a gap of 23 years. The last time President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur was in 2001 and lasted for 277 days.

The backdrop to this political crisis is the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, which has claimed over 200 lives since May 2023. Normalcy remains elusive. The protracted violence triggered a political storm, with the opposition Congress accusing both the central and state governments of inaction and demanding the Chief Minister’s resignation. In November, Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party, with seven MLAs, withdrew its support from the government.
Despite the BJP’s majority in the 60-member assembly, internal pressure mounted, with approximately 12 BJP MLAs advocating for a change in leadership. The situation was further complicated by leaked audio tapes, which the Congress alleged implicated Mr Singh in instigating the violence. A forensic laboratory confirmed a high degree of similarity between the voices on the tapes and Mr Singh’s. The matter is now before the Supreme Court.
Mr Singh’s resignation was met with jubilation from the Congress, who viewed it as a vindication of their demands. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh stated that the imposition of President’s Rule was something the party had been demanding for almost 20 months.