In a significant development, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who is on a visit to New Delhi, announced on Saturday that the Central government is prepared to take crucial decisions on Manipur which has been witnessing a long-drawn unrest for more than nine months.
The announcement was made after a meeting with union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. Matters concerning the strife-torn state were reportedly discussed to urgently bring a concrete resolution to the protracted conflict in Manipur.
Conveying his satisfaction about the meeting, N Biren Singh took to X and posted, “Today, I had the esteemed privilege of meeting with the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah Ji in New Delhi. Engaging in a profound exchange, we discussed matters of paramount importance concerning our state.
Rest assured, the Government of India is set to take some important decisions in the interests of the people of Manipur.”
After the meeting with Amit Shah, CM Biren also met with senior officials of the Ministry of the Home Affairs to deliberate on the means to completely restore normalcy in the state.
He revealed about the meeting in another post on X. “Post-meeting with Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji, I convened with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the North Block, New Delhi. Held a productive discussion on the strategic measures undertaken for fostering peace in Manipur,” his post read.
The announcement came close on the heels of the historic Kangla declaration where all the Meitei legislators including the state MPs took a collective pledge administered by Arambai Tenggol on January 24 to safeguard the integrity of Manipur.
The legislators, including the MPs, pledged to address the situation in Manipur by urging the Central government to act on the six charters of demands put forth by Arambai Tenngol.
These demands aimed at restoring peace in Manipur, include the implementation of the NRC with 1951 as the base year, abrogation of the SoO agreement with Kuki militants,
deportation of Myanmar refugees to Mizoram, international border fencing, replacement of AR with other neutral central forces, and removal of Kuki from the ST list.
Arambai Tenggol has set a deadline of 15 days for the government to meet these demands, with the legislators and MPs expressing their commitment to turning these aspirations into reality. In case of failure, they vowed to join the mass movement of the public.
N Biren Singh, however, was not present in the Kangla gathering though he signed the declaration.
After the declaration, Arambai Tenggol leader Korounganba Khuman announced at a gathering in Khwairamband Keithel in Imphal that in the event of failure to address the charters of demand raised on behalf of the public by the Arambai Tenggol, the lawmakers pledged to stage protests alongside the people.
Emphasising the top priority of preserving Manipur’s integrity and safeguarding its people, the Arambai leader asserted that “these goals would be pursued at any cost.”
