Ukhrul: In the wake of the Union Ministry’s decision to deploy 50 additional CAPF companies to ensure law and order in Manipur, a tweet from former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram calling for the removal of the Chief Minister and call for regional autonomy for different communities has courted controversy in the state.
In a now-deleted tweet, the former Union Home Minister stated that deploying 5,000 Central Armed Police jawans was not the solution to the problem. Instead, he argued that removing N. Biren Singh as Chief Minister was necessary, accusing him of being the cause of the conflict. He called for regional autonomy for the Meitei/Meetei, Kuki, and Naga communities, describing it as the only viable way for them to coexist within a single state. P. Chidambaram also urged the Prime Minister to visit Manipur to understand the grievances and aspirations of its people.
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Taking strong exception to P. Chidambaram’s tweet, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh responded by alleging that the Congress party, and P. Chidambaram in particular, were the root causes of the problem for signing the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with “illegal immigrants.” To support his claims, he shared a photograph of P. Chidambaram with Thanglianpau Guite, the Chairman of the Zomi Revolutionary Army, who is currently under the SoO agreement. Singh further alleged that Guite is a Myanmar citizen and a signatory to the said agreement.
While talking to the press, the Chief Minister also stated the present turmoil in the state is not an ethnic conflict but one engineered by the illegal immigrants against the indigenous people of the state. He also expressed his shock at the feigning of ignorance by the top leaders of national parties especially of the Congress party when they have caused so many problems in the northeast, especially in Manipur due to their ignorance of the region.
On the other hand, the Congress party in the state was also quick to disavow the statements made by the former Union Home Minister. In an immediately held press conference, former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh stated that the statements made by the former Home Minister P Chidambaram were purely personal and did not represent the position of the party. He also declared that the tweet was deleted after the state Congress leaders apprised the Central leaders of its potential to cause further misunderstanding.
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Ibobi, who is the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Manipur, assured the people that the Congress party will always stand for the territorial integrity of Manipur and oppose the idea of regional autonomy in the state. He also reminded that the then Congress government refused to cede the Churachandpur District of Manipur to Mizoram during the signing of the Mizo Accord.
In a recent interview, former Chief Minister of Nagaland, S.C. Jamir, addressed the ongoing Naga peace process, revealing that the Central government has firmly stated that a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas is not possible. As Manipur conflict remains unresolved, and pressure mounts for a comprehensive solution to the decades-long Indo-Naga peace talks, there is also at hand, a growing demand by the Kuki-Zo-Hmar-Paite communities for a “Separate Administration,” in the form of a Union Territory — within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
Observers note that any resolution will require careful navigation to avoid triggering new tensions in the State roiled in conflict since May 3, 2023, often described as a geopolitical tinderbox. How New Delhi balances these demands and addresses the underlying grievances will be closely watched in the days to come.
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