Amidst the continued pains of the people of Manipur due to the continued violent conflict that erupted on May 3, 2023 between the Kuki-Zomi militants and Meiteis in Torbung area of Churachandpur district, speculations and hopes of formation of a popular government in Manipur by the same party which ruled the state till the imposition of President’s Rule on February 13, 2025 by keeping the Manipur Legislative Assembly under Suspended Animation infest the minds of the already frustrated people of Manipur.
Manipur has been under President’s Rule, since February 13, 2025 after the MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not able to reach a consensus for a successor of Nongthombam Biren who came back from New Delhi along with BJP’s Northeast in-Charge Sambit Patra and resigned as Chief Minister of Manipur on February 9, 2023. These on the other hand have fulfilled the almost two years-old demands of the Kuki-Zomis for removal of Nongthombam Biren from Chief Minister being alleged as partisan and imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur.
However, the Kuki-Zomis still stick to their guns of demanding a Separate Administration. The clashes that broke out in Torbung, in the bordering areas of Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts on May 3, 2023 reached Churachandpur town in the evening where Meitei settlements were attacked. Simultaneously on the same night Meitei settlements in Kangpokpi district, Tengnoupal district particularly at Moreh along the Indo-Myanmar Border were attacked. Consequently, mobs in Imphal carried out retaliatory attacks to burn down houses of the Kuki-Zomi settlements. The Kuki-Zomi attacks and retaliatory counter attacks from the Meitei mobs opened up a faultline. The continued gun violence, even using drones and rocket bombs by Kuki-Zomi militants, arson, and riots have engulfed almost all parts of the state, leading to a near-total separation of the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zomis, reinforced by the establishment of “Buffer Zones” by the Central Security Forces that continues till date.
Despite almost three months of President’s Rule in Manipur, the separation between the Kuki-Zomis and Meiteis by the Buffer Zones continues. At least 270 people are reported to have been killed in the violent conflict while 32 are reported still missing and believed to have been killed. More than 61,000 Internally Displaced People continue to languish in relief camps struggling for survival.
Meanwhile, few civil society organisations based in Manipur’s Central Valley demand for installation of a popular government in the State as the President’s Rule also cannot meet the expectations of the people to restore normalcy in Manipur at the earliest.
The Opposition Congress, on the other hand, demanded fresh elections as the “double-engine government” and the President’s Rule failed to bring back peace and normalcy in Manipur apart from ensuring free movement and the return of the displaced people to their homes.
Moreover, in the last session of the Indian Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the House while discussing about the promulgation of President’s Rule in Manipur that the President’s Rule has been imposed in Manipur because no one staked claim then to form government – the 37 BJP MLAs in the 60-member Assembly failed to elect its own leader in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, which has its tenure till 2027.
Following these, it is reported that 21 MLAs led by BJP wrote a letter dated April 10, 2025 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding the immediate installation of a “popular government” in the State. But the letter is said to have reached Prime Minister’s office on April 29, 2025.
In the midst of these developments, BJP’s Northeast in-charge, MP Sambit Patra’s two-day visit to Manipur on May 5 sparks the hopes and expectations of the 21 MLAs that they believed that a new popular government will be installed in Manipur soon. The signatories who have called for restoring the popular government include 13 BJP MLAs (out of 37 in the assembly), three from the National People’s Party (NPP), three from the Naga People’s Front (NPF), and two independents.
However, the pertinent question is whether Sambit Patra visits Manipur to explore the possibilities of forming a popular government of their party or to reconcile the BJP MLAs divided along ethnic lines or both – for reconciliation of BJP MLAs and formation of a new popular government by exploring who can be the leader.
After landing at Imphal airport on May 5, 2025, Sambit Patra visited Kuki-Zomi majority Churachandpur town. He met BJP MLAs Vungzagin Valte of Thanlon Assembly Constituency and LM Khaute who joined BJP after elected on Janata Dal United (JDU) ticket from Churachandpur Assembly Constituency in the last Assembly elections, 2022. Notably, Vungzagin Valte survived a mob attack in Imphal on May 4, 2023 following the outbreak of the violent conflict.
According to reports, MLA LM Khaute and student leaders of the Zomi Students Federation (ZSF) were also present when Sambit Patra met MLA Vungzagin Valte. He also had a closed-door meeting with the leaders of the Kuki Zo Council (KZC) and the Zomi Council (ZC). However, what transpired there is not made public.
Later, Sambit Patra met former Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren at his residence at Luwangshangbam in Imphal East. His last stop was the home of Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata at Bheigyabati Leikai in Imphal. Speaker Satyabrata is elected from Yaiskul Assembly Constituency in Imphal.
On the second day of his visit, Sambit Patra went to Kangpokpi and held a closed-door meeting with MLA Nemcha Kipgen at her residence in Kangpokpi. Nemcha Kipgen was a Minister in Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren’s cabinet in both the terms and is among the signatories of the MLAs belonging to Kuki-Zomi-Hmar tribes demanding a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory since May 12, 2023. Notably, Nemcha Kipgen is wife of Thangboi Kipgen who is the President of Kuki National Front (KNF), which is one of the Kuki militant organisations under the Suspension of Operation (SOO) agreement with the Government of India (GOI) and Government of Manipur (GOM).
According to reports, later, Sambit Patra also met representatives of the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) and the Kuki Women’s Union. During the meeting, COTU submitted a memorandum highlighting urgent concerns of the Kuki-Zo communities.
The memorandum reiterated the demand for a ‘separate administration’ and called for protection of tribal areas through the implementation of constitutional safeguards under Article 371C, and the Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the Constitution. It also called for recognition of tribal land rights, reports said.
Additional demands included the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act across Manipur, a second round of talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs to be held separately with the Kuki-Zo Council and the Meitei community, and restrictions on free movement at the current juncture. The memorandum stated that if civil society organisations representing the Meitei are mandated, the Kuki groups would be willing to sign a cessation of hostilities and initiate dialogue, reports added.
Bottom of Form
After concluding his interactions in Kangpokpi, Sambit Patra returned to Imphal and then departed for New Delhi on May 6, 2025.
During his two-day visit to the State, Sambit Patra met several key figures including former Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren, Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata, BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, JDU turned BJP MLA LM Khaute, BJP MLA Nemcha Kipgen and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
BJP Northeast in-Charge Sambit Patra’s visit comes days after Manipur’s 21 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) led by BJP wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to form a “popular government” in the State which was placed under President’s rule on February 13.
In their letters to Modi and Shah, the 21 BJP-led MLAs had stated the people of Manipur welcomed President’s Rule, imposed on February 13, with a lot of expectations but even after more than two and a half months, there were no visible actions to restore peace and normalcy.
“There is a strong apprehension among the common people that the violence may recur. Many civil society organisations have come out openly against the imposition of President’s rule. They have been demanding the installation of a popular government in the state,” the MLAs wrote jointly.
“These organisations have started organising public rallies, street corner meetings, instigating the general public, blaming the ruling MLAs for not staking a claim to form a popular government and fixing responsibility for imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur,” they further wrote.
They added peace and normalcy in the State could be restored only through the installation of a popular government.
Sambit Patra’s visit to Manipur is said to have aimed at holding crucial meetings with BJP legislators amidst the ongoing political uncertainty in Manipur. However, the questions –why and what for remain unanswered.
Reports also said that some BJP MLAs interacted with Sambit Patra in a hotel in Imphal city and they discussed ways to restore peace in Manipur. They also talked about the role of security forces. The discussions were mostly focused on law and order, and restoration of peace and normalcy. There was, however, no discussion on the recent letter by 21 MLAs to PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah about formation of government in Manipur.
On the other hand, report said Sambit Patra conveyed to Kuki-Zomi leaders that as long as thousands of illicit arms remain in the hands of civilians not under any authority’s control, “they do not feel any urgency in installing a popular ministry.”
Given the context and developing dynamics, the question of formation of a new popular government in Manipur is still uncertain unless there is reconciliation between the BJP MLAs divided along ethnic lines.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
