Jotirmoy Roy, New Delhi: Manipur, a state torn by ethnic strife for over a year, stands as a grim testament to leadership failures and political mismanagement. The withdrawal of support by the National People’s Party (NPP) is not just a political manoeuvre but a resounding indictment of the leadership of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. While the BJP enjoys a comfortable majority in the 60-member Assembly with 37 MLAs, numbers alone cannot paper over the cracks of public disillusionment and administrative breakdown.

NPP chief Conrad Sangma’s pointed critique of the government’s failure to act decisively should serve as a wake-up call. His words reflect a sentiment that has grown louder across Manipur: “Decisions were not taken at the right time, and the situation became worse… People are dying, and it’s sad to see them suffer.” This critique is not just an ally’s perspective but echoes the despair of thousands of Manipuris who have endured violence, displacement, and systemic neglect.

A Year of Failures

Since May last year, when violence erupted in Manipur, the Biren Singh government has displayed a lack of political will and strategic thinking. Ethnic tensions, exacerbated by insider-outsider rhetoric, have been met with superficial measures like internet bans and a glaring lack of coordination between the army and police. These actions reveal a government treating a deep-rooted ethnic crisis as a mere law-and-order problem.

Even as violence flared up again in recent weeks, the administration’s response has been more of the same — reactive, myopic, and disconnected from the ground reality. The absence of meaningful intervention from the Centre only compounds this failure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s July statement in the Rajya Sabha, calling for a united effort to bring peace, remains unfulfilled rhetoric. A crisis of this magnitude requires sustained engagement and an honest acknowledgement of mistakes — qualities starkly missing in the state and central leadership’s approach.

The Cost of Inaction

The human toll of this crisis is staggering. Families were displaced, lives lost, and trust shattered. The continued inability to foster dialogue or bring warring communities together has deepened the state’s fissures. The Centre’s reluctance to act decisively, choosing instead to prop up a faltering chief minister, underscores a dangerous abdication of responsibility.

Conrad Sangma’s assertion that “people need to have confidence in the system and the government” is a damning statement of the current state of affairs. The trust deficit in Manipur is no longer just between communities but between the people and their government. To rebuild this trust, the Centre must do more than offer platitudes; it must take bold and necessary actions.

The Path Forward

The first and most critical step is to remove N. Biren Singh from his post. His leadership has failed to provide stability or inspire confidence. A change at the helm would signal a fresh start and a willingness to address the crisis with renewed vigour. The Centre must also engage deeply with all stakeholders, ensuring that peace-building efforts are inclusive and sustained. Fleeting ministerial visits and bureaucratic measures will not suffice.

The road to peace in Manipur is arduous and requires political courage, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to justice. But it begins with the removal of a chief minister who has presided over one of the state’s darkest chapters. The Modi government must act decisively, for the cost of continued inaction is one that Manipur, and India, can no longer afford.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Apex Bulletin.