Nearly two years after ethnic violence broke out in Manipur, President's rule was imposed in the strife-torn northeastern state on Thursday. The development came four days after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned from his post and the BJP failed to find him a successor.
The imposition of President's rule was necessitated in Manipur as the deadline to convene the Assembly lapsed on February 12, three days after Singh resigned as CM.
As per the rules, state Assemblies must convene within six months of their last sitting. In Manipur, the last Assembly session was convened on August 12, 2024, and the deadline for the next session was February 12.
However, following Singh's resignation, Governor Bhalla revoked the order of convening the Budget session scheduled for February 10.
¡°I am satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of that state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India,¡± President Droupadi Murmu said in a communique.
Under President's rule, the state will be administered by the Governor on behalf of the President and has the authority to make laws and also sanction funds.
President's rule, which has to be approved by Parliament by a simple majority, can be imposed for a maximum of three years but can be revoked by the President early.
This is the 11th time since 1951 that Manipur has come under the direct control of the Centre.
Though President's rule has been imposed, the Manipur Assembly, having a tenure till 2027, has not been dissolved but has been put under suspended animation.
While the opposition, including Congress and the CPIM, were quick to blame BJP's failure for the imposition of President's rule, others have welcomed it.
Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) leader Ginza Vualzong said it will give a ray of hope to the Kuki-Zo community and added that having a new Meitei chief minister is "far from comforting".
"The Kuki-Zo do not trust the Meitei anymore, so a new Meitei CM is still far from comforting. The President's rule will give a ray of hope to the Kuki-Zo, and we believe that it will be one step closer to our political solution," he said.
Singh, who became the Manipur Chief Minister in 2017, stepped down on February 9, a day before he was to face a no-confidence motion in the Assembly.
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