Manipur in a mess

MANIPUR has become a rather bad advertisement for a double-engine government. The left hand doesn’t seem to know what the right one is doing. Amid a fresh surge in violence, Chief Minister N Biren Singh has appealed to the Centre to take steps to protect the state’s territorial integrity. At the same time, he has demanded that the charge of the Unified Command — including the Central Armed Police Forces — be handed over to the state government. He is asking too much of the Centre, considering that his own handling of the situation since the Meitei-Kuki clashes broke out in May last year has left a lot to be desired. Despite his underwhelming performance, the ruling BJP has persisted with Biren. Even the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections — the Congress won both seats in Manipur, defeating the saffron party and the Naga People’s Front — has not triggered a much-needed shakeup.

Both the Central and state governments have let things drift for far too long in the troubled northeastern state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been visiting one country after another, has not set foot in Manipur after February 22, 2022. That election-related trip took place just a couple of days before the Russia-Ukraine war began, and the PM has toured both nations in recent months. Defending the indefensible, Biren has stated that the PM did send Home Minister Amit Shah to the state and also spoke about Manipur in Parliament as well as in his 2023 Independence Day speech. But all that has certainly not proved enough to defuse tensions and reduce hostilities.

The use of drones by militants to carry out bombings has caught the security forces off guard. They need to recalibrate their strategy to curb violence and restore the rule of law. Also, the Centre must be proactive about bringing the warring sides to the negotiating table. The PM’s direct intervention is a must to save Manipur.