Imphal: A political storm has erupted over the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, with Chief Minister N. Biren Singh blaming Congress leader P. Chidambaram for the crisis in the northeastern state. Singh accused the former Union Minister of being the “root cause” of the current unrest, stating that issues in Manipur were exacerbated during Congress's governance, and the repercussions are still being felt.
In a now-deleted post on X, Chidambaram criticized the Chief Minister, saying, “Rushing 5,000 more central armed police jawans is not the answer to the Manipur crisis. It requires wisdom: acknowledging that Mr. Biren Singh, the Chief Minister, is the cause of the crisis and removing him immediately.” He also suggested that lasting peace could only be achieved if the Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga communities were granted genuine regional autonomy. Chidambaram further called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur, engage with the people, and understand their grievances firsthand.
In response, Chief Minister Singh rejected Chidambaram's remarks, stating that the problems in the state stemmed from the central government's negligence during the Congress era. Singh specifically accused Chidambaram of being responsible for the crisis, referring to actions taken during his tenure as Home Minister.
Singh alleged that during the Congress-led UPA government, when Okram Ibobi Singh was Chief Minister, Chidambaram allowed the entry of Thanglianpau Guite, a Myanmar national and leader of the banned Zomi Re-Unification Army. Singh presented a photograph of Chidambaram meeting Guite, claiming that their actions disregarded the interests of the northeastern region and its indigenous people.
The Chief Minister also pointed to the issue of illegal migrants from Myanmar, which he said was contributing to the crisis by attempting to dominate the indigenous population of Manipur and the broader northeast. He insisted that the problems currently faced by Manipur were directly caused by Congress's actions, and that the party could not easily absolve itself of responsibility.
With IANS inputs