Hours after the high-voltage drama over his resignation, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh responded to social media users who were taking potshots at him, only to delete it later.
N Biren Singh seemed to begin the process of resigning on Friday afternoon before thousands of demonstrators gathered outside his Imphal home and prevented him from proceeding to the Governor’s residence 200 metres away. Thousands of Meitei women who had gathered outside his residence raised slogans hailing the BJP leader and tore a sheet of paper that contained the chief minister’s resignation.
Following the dramatic scenes, Biren Singh “clarified” he would not demit office.
“At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister,” Singh wrote on Twitter, putting an end to the speculations swirling since morning.
As the state continues to roil by ethnic violence for almost two months, Singh, who is a Meitei, has been blamed by Kuki groups for taking sides.
One of the social media users, Thang Kuki, commented on Singh’s post, “You should have resigned long time ago.”
To this, Singh replied: “Are you from India or Myanmar?”
The chief minister’s jibe was aimed at the fact that members of the Kuki community in Manipur have close cultural ties with those living across the border in Myanmar. He made a similar reference in another reply when a user said a huge Meitei population also lived in the neighbouring country.
Singh responded, “Meitei in Myanmar never ask their homeland in Myanmar.”
One user described himself as a citizen of Zalengam, a proposed separate state by Kukis.
To him, Singh replied: “Can be in Myanmar”.
A Congress functionary asked Singh to “stop the drama” and send his resignation letter to the governor via fax.
Singh wrote: “Don’t bark without knowing the ground realities, mainland will not understand the complexity of Myanmar border Indian state.
On May 3, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur between the numerically dominant Meitei community — which forms 53% of the state population — and tribal communities, especially Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Violent clashes broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.