The central government has imposed President’s Rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. This means that the state assembly will not function as usual, and the President of India will take over the administration. The decision was made on Thursday, February 15, and announced by President Droupadi Murmu.

The situation in Manipur has been tense due to ethnic violence since May 2023. The decision to impose President’s Rule was taken after a report was submitted by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.

Why was the president’s rule imposed?

Before this decision, security officials were already monitoring the state carefully to ensure that no violent incidents took place. The BJP-led government collapsed on February 9 when Biren Singh resigned as Chief Minister. His resignation came just after he returned from New Delhi, where he had meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J P Nadda.

After Singh’s resignation, the governor cancelled the upcoming assembly session that was scheduled for February 10. The opposition Congress had earlier warned that they would bring a no-confidence motion against Singh’s government during the Assembly session. This means they wanted to remove Singh from power through a formal vote in the state assembly.

Currently, the Manipur assembly has 59 members after the recent death of an MLA. Among them:

  • 37 MLAs belong to BJP
  • 6 are from NPP
  • 5 from NPF
  • 5 from Congress
  • 2 from Kuki People’s Alliance
  • 1 from JDU
  • 3 are independent MLAs

The Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) and National People’s Party (NPP), which had earlier supported the BJP government, had withdrawn their support after the violence started. However, two NPP MLAs still continued to support Biren Singh.

What does the president’s rule mean?

When President’s Rule is imposed in a state, it means the state government is removed and the President of India takes control of the administration. This happens under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution. The powers of the Chief Minister and the state assembly are suspended, and the Union Government directly governs the state.

A notification was issued on Thursday evening by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The notification said that the president had received a report from the governor and, after considering all information, was satisfied that the state government could no longer function according to the Constitution.

The notification further stated:

  • The president will now take over all the powers of the Manipur government.
  • The state legislature’s powers will be exercised by the Parliament of India.

Attempts to choose a new CM

The BJP was trying to select a new Chief Minister for Manipur after Biren Singh’s resignation. Several meetings were held in Imphal, led by the BJP’s Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra. BJP MLAs and members of NDA allies like the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the National People’s Party (NPP) were also involved in these discussions.

However, no agreement was reached on a new CM. This led to the decision to impose the President’s Rule instead of forming a new government immediately.

According to a BJP MLA, one of the reasons for choosing President’s Rule was to crack down on armed groups in both the hills and valleys of Manipur.

The Manipur Congress strongly opposed this decision. Congress President K. Meghachandra Singh criticised the BJP government, saying, "They have realised that there was a completely failed state under N. Biren Singh and that the state was completely destroyed in the past 20 months. The Constitution and the people’s mandate are not being respected."

Opposition from Congress

Congress leaders have criticised the decision, saying that the BJP government in Manipur has failed to handle the situation properly. They believe that instead of imposing President’s Rule, the BJP should have worked towards restoring normalcy in the state.

Support from Kuki-Zo groups

On the other hand, Kuki-Zo groups have welcomed the decision. Many members of these groups had been demanding President’s Rule for a long time.

Ginza Vualzong, a spokesperson of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) based in Churachandpur, said, "The President’s Rule is more preferable than a change of CM. The Kuki-Zo do not trust Meitei anymore, so a new Meitei CM is still far from comforting. President’s Rule will give a ray of hope to the Kuki-Zo, and we believe that it will be one step closer to our political solution. With the President’s Rule, I believe the groundwork to end violence will begin, which will pave the way for a conducive environment for political dialogue."

What happens next?

Since the President’s Rule has been imposed, the central government will now be in charge of Manipur until either:

  • A new Chief Minister is appointed, or
  • Fresh elections are held.

The BJP-led central government will now decide the next steps for Manipur’s administration. The violence in the state and security situation will continue to be a major concern.

For now, all eyes are on March 10, when the budget session of Parliament resumes. This may be the time when the government announces its next move regarding the future of Manipur.

The political situation in Manipur remains uncertain. With the President’s Rule now in place, the BJP, Congress, and different community groups are expressing different opinions. While some see this as an opportunity to restore peace, others believe it is a failure of governance. 

Read: Manipur violence: The reasons behind the Meitei-Kuki conflict