Impose President's Rule: CoTU
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 10 2025: The resignation of N Biren as chief minister, one of the main demands of Kuki-Zo leaders since the onset of the conflict in May 2023, has failed to address the larger concerns of the community, according to Ng Lun Kipgen, spokesperson of the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU).

In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Lun Kipgen said Biren stepping down would not amount to accountability for the 21-month-long conflict and stressed that the Centre must show "sincerity to reinstall democratic institutions" .

Speaking on whether the resignation addressed the core demands of Kuki groups, Lun Kipgen said the Kuki-Zo community had been demanding that Biren be held accountable and that constitutional norms be upheld.

He stated that after witnessing the conflict for nearly two years, it had become evident that the issue was not limited to the chief minister alone, but also included other elected representatives from the valley who, he claimed, shared a similar mindset.

He expressed concern that a certain "fascism" had been instilled in the political class, adding that none of the 40 MLAs from the valley had stood up to condemn what had happened to the Ku ki-Zo community.

He reiterated that Biren's resignation in itself was not significant and that what truly mattered was whether the Centre was sincere in reinstalling democratic institutions.

Kipgen emphasised that for the Kuki-Zo people who have moved away from Imphal due to the conflict, a geographical and physical division had already taken shape.

According to him, the only viable solution was a separate political administration for the Kuki-Zo community.

He argued that the conflict was not simply a matter between Kukis and Meeteis but was rooted in a state institution that was "centred around the Meeteis".

This, he said, made it impossible for the Kuki-Zos to remain under the current system.

When asked whether Biren's resignation was being seen as a step towards accountability, the CoTU spokesperson dismissed the idea outright, stating that "there is no accountability here".

He alleged that the Centre was attempting to shield Biren from the no-confidence motion that was set to be moved in the Assembly and which, according to him, the BJP would have lost.

He described the resignation as a move to "absolve themselves from this mess" and claimed that by orchestrating Biren's resignation, the Centre had effectively averted the no-confidence motion.

On the timing of the resignation, Lun Kipgen remarked that it coincided with the actions planned by the Opposition and some dissident BJP MLAs.

Healso pointed to the Supreme Court hearing concerning audio tapes in which Biren was allegedly heard discussing his role in the conflict.

He suggested that the Centre was no longer able to shield Biren and that his resignation was the only way out.

He further alleged that the audio tapes also implicated the Centre, which, in his view, led to Biren being "requested" to step down.

Looking ahead, Lun Kipgen asserted that the most acceptable political arrangement for Manipur's governance would be the imposition of President's Rule.

While the initial demand had been for Biren's resignation and accountability, he said that as time had passed, it had become clear that the issue extended beyond him.

He accused the 40 MLAs from the majority community of subscribing to the same narrative as Biren, making it futile to replace him with another CM from within the Assembly.

He insisted that President's Rule must be imposed, arguing that at the very least, it would allow the highly militarised state to be contained by Central security forces.

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