President's rule failed to maintain peace in Manipur, alleges Congress

Imphal: Amid protests over concealing the state’s name on the windshield of a government bus, Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra alleged that the President's rule has "failed" to maintain peace in the state.

He also claimed Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who took charge in January this year, should be recalled by the Centre.

The Centre had on February 13 imposed the President's rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned, following a prolonged ethnic violence in the state.

The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation.

In a post on X, Meghachandra, the Wangkhem MLA, alleged, "Double-engine government had already failed Manipur for the last more than 2 years. President's Rule, too, has failed Manipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly fails Manipur. Home Minister Amit Shah should resign. Manipur governor should be recalled." The term “double engine” is used by BJP leaders to refer to the party being in power at the Centre as well as in a state.

The Congress leader's remarks come at a time when the state has been witnessing protests for the last few days over the concealing of the state’s name on the windshield of a government bus last week.

The protesters have been demanding an apology from the governor for the May 20 incident.

The security personnel had stopped the bus at Gwaltabi check post, around 25 km from Imphal, and allegedly forced the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) staff to conceal the state’s name written on the top of the vehicle’s windshield with a piece of white paper.

The bus with journalists on board was heading to the Shirui Lily festival in Ukhrul district on May 20 when the incident happened.

Referring to the Gwaltabi incident, Meghachandra said, "Who instructed Manipur Governor to remove the word 'Manipur' from the Manipur State Transport Corporation bus?" To intensify their protest, students and women's groups had on Monday formed a human chain, covering a stretch of six kilometres from Imphal airport to Keisampat, around 200 metres away from the governor's residence.

In view of the demonstration, the governor, who had arrived in Imphal from New Delhi on Monday, had taken an Army helicopter to reach Kangla Fort, located around 300 metres from the Raj Bhavan.

In a post late on Monday, Meghachandra also said, "Manipur Governor had to take a helicopter to fly from Imphal International Airport in order to reach Raj Bhavan, which is around 7 km by road travel from the airport, today." More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.