Modi’s prescription for Russia applies to Manipur too

Département de recherche, d’études stratégiques et de relations internationales 10-09-2024

Biren Singh ought to realise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to Russia and Ukraine that peace does not come from the battlefield, but through dialogue, applies to Manipur as well.

When a chief minister calls on his state’s governor twice in two days, it normally would indicate a possible change in government. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had a one-on-one with Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Saturday amid buzz that the former had suggested mass resignation of the ruling MLAs at a snap NDA meeting called earlier in the day. Another speculated proposal was to place the assembly under suspended animation in the wake of the surprise drone bombings since September 1. If true, both ideas were trial balloons that were shot down.

They anyway drew scepticism as Singh is a hard-nosed neta not known for yielding even if push comes to shove. Had he really wanted to, there were umpteen opportunities last year for him to do so when ethnic violence killed 220 people and displaced more than 60,000. Singh called on the governor again on Sunday, this time with NDA lawmakers, and submitted a memorandum. While its contents were not made public, Singh is said to have been critical of the leadership of the central security forces. Close to 20,000 paramilitary personnel are deployed in the state, apart from the army and the police.

With NDA lawmakers coming under intense pressure from their constituencies because of the drone bomb scare, they are trying to blame it on the ‘ineffective’ paramilitary forces. Singh demanded the transfer of control of the unified command—which takes the call on security matters—from the Centre to the state government. He also sought targeted action on Kuki-Zo militant camps in the hills. Since September 1, nine persons have been killed by drone bombs and rocket fire. As for the unified command, it has started testing and deploying anti-drone systems to neutralise the new threat. The police, too, are procuring these special equipment.

Some positive gestures need to be made to settle the ethnic conflict, but Singh is totally opposed to the Kuki demand of autonomous administration. He ought to realise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to Russia and Ukraine that peace does not come from the battlefield, but through dialogue, applies to Manipur as well. His demand for scrapping the Suspension of Operation accord the central and Manipur governments signed with Kuki insurgent outfits in 2008 goes against the grain of giving dialogue a chance.