Manipur CM’s demand of handing over unified command’s charge to him is farce: Congress

Two top Congress politicians from Manipur belonging to the Meitei community on Wednesday called the existing security set-up in the state an “unconstitutional” arrangement and described as “façade” the Chief Minister Biren Singh’s recent meeting with Governor Lakhsman Prasad Arya demanding he be made the Chairman of the “unified command” which oversees the security situation in the state.

Bimol Akoijam, Lok Sabha member, and K Meghachandra, MLA and MPCC chief, also severely criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ignoring Manipur even as he tried to broker truce between Russia and Ukraine and tried to intervene in other international conflicts. The “indifference” shown by Modi to the people of Manipur is hurting them deeply and creating in them a sense of alienation, the two Congress leaders said.

After a brief lull, there has been spurt in Kuki vs Meitei ethnic violence in the state again this month, with Kuki militants using heavy and sophisticated weapons, such as RPGs and drones, to attack Meitei villages throwing the Meitei residents into panic.

This has prompted Biren Singh, himself a Meitei, to ask the Governor to hand over the charge of unified command to him so that he can take appropriate action against militants.

None of the 10 Kuki MLAs of the BJP accompanied Biren Singh when he went to meet the Governor in Imphal on Monday.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC office here, Akoijam and Meghachandra said when the unified command was set up back in May 2023 after ethnic violence broke out in the state, Biren Singh was initially made its Chairman. However, seven days later, the Chief Minister was replaced as Chairman by Union Home Ministry-appointed Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh.

“Biren Singh then quit without even a whimper. But all of a sudden – after more than one year having passed since his unceremonious exit – he has started demanding that he be reinstated as the Chairman of the unified command. This is all a facade”, the two Congress leaders said.

They, however, added that entrusting law and order to a Home Ministry-appointed official was a flagrant violation of the Constitution since law and order was a state subject.

“It is not a question of whether we wanted the CM to be made the Chairman of the unified command. Law and order being a state subject, sidelining the elected Chief Minister in security related matter is violation of the principle of federalism”, the two Congress leaders said.