The imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur has reignited fierce debates about the state’s future, exposing deep ethnic and political fault lines. While Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribes have welcomed the move as a long overdue step toward stability, the Meitei community sees it as an unjustified intervention that could further marginalise them. This stark division underscores the complexities of the crisis that began on 3 May 2023, when ethnic clashes erupted, leading to over 250 deaths and the displacement of more than 60,000 people. At the heart of the issue is whether President’s Rule will be a meaningful intervention or a temporary political manoeuvre. The central leadership of the BJP, which ruled the state, faces a difficult choice: allow President’s Rule to continue long enough to facilitate genuine reconciliation or use it merely as a stopgap measure until a new political arrangement is worked out among party MLAs in Manipur.

Given that President’s Rule........

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