Manipur: 21 NDA MLAs urge Amit Shah to restore ‘popular government'
This is the 'only means to bring peace and normalcy' to the state, they wrote.
The letter came more than two months after President's Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13 after the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Manipur has been mired in ethnic conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar communities that broke out in May 2023. The violence has since left at least 258 dead and displaced more than 59,000.
'The people of Manipur welcomed the President's Rule...with lots of hope and expectation,' the MLAs wrote to Shah. 'However, it's going to be three months, but no visible actions to bring peace and normalcy have been seen so far.'
The MLAs said they were being blamed by civil society organisations 'for not staking claim to form a popular government and fixing responsibility for the imposition of PR (President's Rule) in the state'.
'We, therefore request you to kindly take necessary steps to install a popular government in Manipur at the earliest,' said the MLAs. 'We assure you we will work with full dedication and devotion to bring peace and normalcy after the installation of a popular government.'
The last time President's Rule was imposed in Manipur was between June 2, 2001, and March 5, 2002, for 276 days due to political instability.
President's Rule under Article 356 transfers the powers and responsibilities of the state government to the Union government and the functions of the state legislature to Parliament for the duration of its enforcement. The only exception is the operation of High Courts, which are unaffected.
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