N Biren Singh resigns as Manipur Chief Minister

Amidst rumblings within the state Bharatiya Janata Party BJP seeking a change of leadership in strifetorn Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in ImphalThe governor accepted Singhs resignation along with that of his council of ministers and requested that he continue in office until alternative arrangements are madeThe resignation comes just hours after Singh returned from Delhi and following 21 months of ethnic violence that has shaken the state since May 2023The Opposition had been demanding his resignation for long The Congress was prompt to react that the resignation was belated and said people of the state were now awaiting a visit by our frequentflier Prime Minister Narendra ModiEarlier this week a new controversy erupted after the Supreme Court sought a sealedcover forensic report on the authenticity of leaked audio clips alleging the role of Singh in the ethnic violenceThe tapes reportedly included conversations where Singh allegedly suggested that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition from the Manipur government during the unrest which has so far claimed 250 livesIn his resignation letter Singh said It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far I am extremely grateful to the Central government for time actions interventions developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interests of every single ManipuriMy sincere request to the Central government through your good office is to continue with the same I take the opportunity to enumerate the most important ones of them To maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur which has a rich and diverse civilizational history over thousands of years the letter addedSingh in his resignation letter also requested the Centre to continue the crackdown on border infiltration and to formulate policy for the deportation of the illegal immigrants and the fight against drugs and narco terrorismOn Saturday he convened a meeting with BJPled ruling alliance Members of Legislative Assembly MLAs at the CM Secretariat The meeting was held in the wake of the opposition Congress seeking to move a noconfidence motion against the government led by Singh during the Assembly session starting MondayIt was not immediately clear whether the BJP will appoint a new CM Top BJP leader Sambit Patra is camping in ManipurBJP sources on the other side expressed hope that his resignation will help boost the efforts being helmed by the Centre to broker peace between the two main ethnic communities in the stateNoting that former home secretary Ajay Bhalla was appointed the states governor in December last with an apparent aim to accelerate peace and security measures they said Singhs resignation will help the process and convey the Centres sincerity in bridging the ethnic divideA source said that Singh was also losing support among BJP MLAs many of whom have met party leaders in Delhi to convey their unhappiness with his continuationThe state Assembly session is scheduled to begin on February 10 and there was concern that some party MLAs might embarrass the government by targeting their own leadershipIn his letter to the governor the CM also urged the central government to continue the stringent and foolproof revised mechanism of Free Movement Regime FMR with the biometric being stringently applied time bound and faster border which is underwayMeanwhile state BJP president A Sharda said We are yet to receive further instructions from the party She asserted that Singh worked tirelessly for the development and integrity of the stateHe has been trying to bring peace in the state since the ethnic violence broke out on May 3 2023 The BJP will continue to work hard for the integrity of the state Sharda addedOn February 3 a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar sought a report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory CFSL within six weeks and posted the plea by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust KOHUR on March 24KOHUR represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan sought a courtmonitored SIT probe into the alleged role of the chief minister in the ethnic violenceBhushan however termed the contents of the audio leaks a very serious matter and said in the clips the chief minister was purportedly saying that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition of the state governmentThe Kuki organisations plea alleged the chief minister of Manipur was instrumental in inciting organising and thereafter centrally orchestrating the largescale murder destruction and other forms of violence against the Kuki dominated areas in ManipurMore than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness 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