NEW DELHI: The Centre Thursday imposed President’s rule in Manipur, days after chief minister N Biren Singh stepped down and subsequent efforts at forming an alternative govt remained unsuccessful. The Manipur assembly, however, will remain in suspended animation, leaving room for formation of a govt as and when an alternative emerges.
Assembly polls in Manipur, in the normal course, are due Feb 2027.
President Droupadi Murmu, in the proclamation imposing President’s rule, said she was “satisfied a situation has arisen in which govt of that state cannot be carried on in accordance with provisions of the Constitution of India”.
The proclamation, sources said, was issued under Rule 12 of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961, which allows the PM in emergency situations to depart from the requirement to get the Union Cabinet to make the recommendation for application of Article 356. With PM Narendra Modi away in the US, a meeting of the cabinet could not have been convened. Post-facto approval can be taken from the cabinet on the PM’s return.
There have been precedents of Rule 12 being applied with regard to President’s rule in a state; the last time this was done was to revoke President’s rule in Maharashtra in Nov 2019.
The proclamation is likely to be placed before Parliament in the current session, when it meets post-recess, unless an alternative emerges in the interim, allowing President’s rule to be revoked.
While the BJP leadership appeared to be making efforts to pick a successor to Singh, it was reconciled to the prospect of the state having to be put, at least temporarily, under central rule. Perhaps, it can be helpful as the state seeks to achieve normalcy that has eluded it since May 2023.
Prez rule to create a neutral setting for talks in Manipur
There is an assessment that placing Manipur under President’s rule — with governor Ajay Bhalla, a former home secretary who has worked under home minister Amit Shah for five years, in the saddle — almost 21 months after ethnic violence broke out, will help in creating a neutral setting for talks between Meitei and Kuki-Zo leaders to sort out issues creating mutual mistrust. Kukis, who had been resisting sitting across the table with Singh in the lead, are expected to soften their stance and come forward for substantive talks to bring lasting peace.
The fast-paced political developments in Manipur come amid the assessment that Singh’s own support among MLAs and Manipuri people had dwindled over time. There is a sense that people of the state, both from Meitei-dominated Valley and hills occupied by Kuki-Zo, are tired of the prolonged conflict and failure of Biren Singh govt to curb it and now want a decisive leadership to broker peace.