Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh on Tuesday hit back at Congress leader P Chidambaram for blaming him for the crisis in the state and accused the former Union Minister of being the “root cause” of the ongoing crisis in the northeastern state. Manipur CM’s remarks comes after Chidambaram’s post which was later deleted in which he mentioned about the division and alleged the present crisis is due to the CM of Manipur.

“P Chidambaram is a senior Congress leader and I am surprised to see his ‘X’ handle mentioning about the division and alleging the present crisis is due to the CM of Manipur. There are a few problems that we are facing due to the ignorance of the Central leaders during the Congress time… P Chidambaram is the root cause of the present crisis,” Singh said, claiming that when Chidambaram was the Home Minister in the then Congress government and Okram Ibobi Singh was the CM of Manipur, they brought a Myanmarese foreigner, Thanglianpau Guite.

“When he was the Home Minister in the then Congress government and Okram Ibobi Singh was the CM (of Manipur), they brought a Myanmarese foreigner, Thanglianpau Guite… That person was the chairman Zomi Re-Unification Army, which is banned in Myanmar… Here is a photograph where P Chidambadam is meeting Thanglianpau… They never cared about the North East and the indigenous people… The present crisis is the problem of the illegal migrants from Myanmar and they try to dominate the indigenous people of Manipur and the entire North East… Whatever the problem is there in Manipur is created by Congress… They cannot wash their hands so easily,” Manipur CM said.

Chidambaram on N Biren Singh

Earlier today, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram demanded that Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh be removed “immediately.” He criticised the government for the deployment of 5,000 additional central armed police personnel amid the ongoing tensions in Manipur over the killing of six innocent people including women and children.

The former Union Minister also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that it would be statesmanship if PM Modi visited Manipur and addressed their problems.

“Rushing 5,000 more central armed police jawans is not the answer to the Manipur crisis. It is more wisdom: acknowledging that Mr Biren Singh, the chief minister, is the cause of the crisis and removing him immediately. ” P Chidambaram said.

Manipur Violence: What  Happened So Far

Several Manipur MLAs yesterday passed a resolution listing their demands including asking the central government to review the imposition of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in the state.

The resolution also said that a mass operation must be initiated within seven days against the Kuki militants allegedly responsible for the killing of six people including women and children in Jiribam. It also demanded the transfer of three key cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that are linked to the death of one woman who was burnt, the killing of six innocent civilians, and the killing of a woman farmer.

The MLAs in their resolution decided to declare Kuki militants responsible for the killings of six innocent people including women and children to be declared an “unlawful organisation” within seven days.

This escalation comes after six people were found dead. In response to the incident, the Manipur government had initially suspended internet services in seven districts.

On Monday, the Manipur government announced an extension of the temporary suspension of internet and mobile data services in the territorial jurisdiction of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Kakching, Kangpokpi, Thoubal and Churachandpur. The suspension will continue till 5:15 pm on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

Violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

(With agency inputs)