After nearly 21 months of unrest and turmoil in Manipur and amidst repeated calls for his resignation, Chief Minister Biren Singh finally decided to step down. The big question is, however, whether peace will now return to the violence-hit state. After a two-hour meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP president, J.P. Nadda, in the Capital, Singh flew back to Imphal to submit his resignation to newly appointed Governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, on the eve of the budget session of the Assembly. The Congress had threatened to move a no-confidence motion against Singh in the Assembly and the fear was that several BJP MLAs would defy the party whip and vote with the Opposition on the motion. Differences in the Manipur BJP have been simmering for quite some time, with the Kuki and Meitei legislators blaming Singh for the turmoil. The Speaker, too, was not on good terms with the CM. Under these circumstances, Singh was forced to step down.

The Governor has now called off the Assembly session. It remains to be seen if the President’s rule will be imposed or a new chief minister will be named. The beleaguered chief minister had been resisting calls to resign for several months from both the Kukis and the Meiteis, who have held him responsible for the escalation in violence and the failure to control the situation for nearly two years. Almost 250 people have been killed in the violence and more than 70,000 displaced. He had offered to quit last year but was persuaded not to by supporters. The violence in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, the immediate trigger for it being a High Court........

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