Renewed hope for peace in Manipur

The imposition of the President’s Rule in Manipur is a necessary evil for the restoration of peace and stability in the strife-torn state. As the Manipur Assembly has been kept in suspended animation, there is scope for restoration of rule by an elected government whenever the ruling coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can elect a new chief minister through consensus among its legislators. Newly appointed Governor and former Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla had no other option but to recommend the central rule in the state as the BJP legislature party failed to elect a new leader to succeed Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who resigned from office, ahead of the expiry of six months from the last sitting of the assembly. Article 174(1) mandates that an assembly session must be convened within six months from the last sitting of the House, and in the case of the Manipur assembly, the six-month gap was due to be over on Wednesday. The opposition Congress has accused the Governor of violating the provision of the Article by not summoning the Assembly session, but these are matters of constitutional laws and their interpretation. Following the resignation of the incumbent chief minister, the governor passed an order on February 9 declaring his previous order of summoning the House from February 10 as “null and void.” The Congress submitted a no-confidence motion to be moved on the first day of the session, and the opposition party claimed that their proposed motion expedited N. Biren’s resignation on the eve of the assembly session. The failure of the BJP to elect a new leader and the imposition of central rule indicated that BJP central leadership was perhaps apprehensive of Congress’s no-trust motion, fuelling rumblings against N. Biren Singh, leading to an unwarranted political situation of floor crossing by members of the ruling coalition. Allowing the political instability to persist will only precipitate the fragile law-and-order situation that resulted from violent ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo communities since May 3, 2023. While ruling coalition parties try to elect a new leader, restoration of peace in the state remains the top priority for the state administration and will require the security forces to act in tandem to launch a crackdown against all armed groups to restore the confidence of the people. The governor, who is well-versed in the complexities of the situation after handling the internal security situation in the northeast region and geopolitics in the neighbourhood for a long period, is expected to play a crucial role in guiding the security forces and the state administration to adopt an effective strategy to deal with the prevailing situation. Mindless violence claimed 260 lives and displaced thousands of families belonging to both communities, most of whom have not been able to return to their homes. Rehabilitation of people displaced by violent ethnic conflict, armed or unarmed, back in their villages and towns is critical to building bridges between the communities involved in it. Renewed efforts must be made for peace-building between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos under the central rule. Saner voices among the two communities lending cooperation to the Governor in his peace-building initiatives will go a long way in ending the days of uncertainty for the displaced people. Security forces recovering all illegal arms and ammunition in the state are crucial for democratic voices to become stronger and play their part in the restoration of peace and stability. Organisations championing the causes of different communities in the state imposing a self-moratorium on raising political issues and demands publicly will help expedite the peace-building initiatives. The organisations can continue to raise their demands with the government through the submission of a memorandum but take utmost care that these are not made public to avoid confusion and mistrust, which will apply the much-needed healing balm Manipur desperately needs. The government allowing democratic voices to ventilate their grievances and keeping them engaged at the discussion table will isolate the mischief mongers. Security forces taking strong measures against violation of ceasefire ground rules by insurgent groups that signed a suspension of operation with the government and keeping the armed cadres confined to their designated camps is essential to prevent a gun battle. Dismantling all illegal check posts established in the valley and hill districts and posting strong security pickets will allow people to engage themselves in daily activities without any fear. Restoration of peace cannot be achieved through stricter law and order and counter-insurgency measures alone if people do not lend whole-hearted support. Organisations in both the valley and the hills must realise that obstructing the peace-building process will only prolong the trauma of the people who have lost their family members and properties. The central rule must ensure that the administration delivers in a nonpartisan manner to trigger renewed hope for peace restoration in Manipur.