During the last year and a half, the Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh has done one thing well that he has apologized for the situation like civil war in the state, but for such tragedies with the empty words of a political leader. It is not difficult to predict how the situation on the ground will be affected. Since May last year, ethnic violence has been going on between the Kukis and Matei communities of the North Eastern Province. Meanwhile, more than 250 human lives have been lost and thousands of families have been rendered homeless. There, the stigma of the incident of three women being stripped naked by a violent mob has come to the fore of the country. Biren Singh may have realized that the game of inciting one or the other community to achieve his political goals can no longer go on. Regarding the events in Manipur, there have been repeated demands in Parliament and other forums that the situation there is not being handled properly, but the Chief Minister has never let water fall on his feet. Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s tone started to fade after the BJP was wiped out in Manipur in the last Lok Sabha elections.
The Chief Minister has apologised, but many people feel that it would have been better if he had resigned from his post taking responsibility for this entire matter, perhaps in a state which has been hit by ethnic violence, there will be mutual conflict between different groups of people. Restoring trust can go a long way in improving the situation. However, a day after the Chief Minister’s statement, an attack was carried out by masked terrorists in Imphal West district on Wednesday morning. This shows that the conditions in the state are not what they are claiming. It is not customary in the country to resign from one’s public office on the grounds of moral or political responsibility in such cases. Usually, political leaders are forced to take such a step only when it becomes a losing trade for those holding the reins of power. Manipur’s ethnic violence has become a stain on the BJP’s ‘double engine’ maraka politics and the party is making plans to minimize its damage in the upcoming state elections.
