Opposition Criticises Centre's Handling of Manipur Crisis as President's Rule Gets Lok Sabha Nod

The Lok Sabha on Thursday adopted a Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur. While the Opposition expressed support for the resolution, they criticised the Centre's handling of the situation in the state. The discussion on the imposition of central rule took place at 2 am, immediately following a marathon 14-hour debate on the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill. In stark contrast, the debate on Manipur lasted only 41 minutes, including a brief 9-minute reply by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Opposition was caught off guard by the late-night timing, with some members visibly stunned by the sudden scheduling.

Amit Shah defended the government's decision, stating that all necessary measures had been taken to restore peace and normalcy in the restive northeastern state. “By and large the situation is peaceful. As long as people are in camps, I would not say the situation is satisfactory. The government is taking all possible steps to restore peace in Manipur,” Shah said.

The Home Minister explained that the violence in Manipur, which erupted in May 2023, began after a state High Court order. "The day the order came, we sent the central forces by air. There was no delay on our part," he assured, detailing the government's swift response. Shah also emphasised that no violence had been reported in the past four months.

The violence, which has claimed the lives of 260 people, was largely concentrated in the first month. Shah also highlighted that ethnic violence in Manipur was not a recent phenomenon, citing historical instances of conflict, such as clashes between the Naga and Kuki communities in the 1990s, which resulted in 750 deaths over five years. He further mentioned the 1997-98 Kuki-Paite clashes, which led to 352 fatalities, and the Meitei-Pangal clashes, in which over 100 people died.

“The impression has been given that violence erupted only during the BJP rule, which is not correct,” Shah stated, emphasising that ethnic tensions in the region had existed long before the current administration.

The Opposition voiced strong concerns over the government's handling of the crisis. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, initially taken aback by the timing of the debate, questioned whether the Speaker genuinely wanted to discuss the issue at such a late hour. “Let’s do it tomorrow morning,” he suggested, but when the Speaker did not relent, Tharoor proceeded with his remarks.

Tharoor described the ongoing violence as a "slow-burning horror" that had lasted for 21 months before President’s Rule was declared. "Better late than never, but some home truths must be told,” Tharoor said. He criticised the failure of the authorities responsible for maintaining law and order, adding that the Centre only intervened when it became clear that the state government, led by N Biren Singh, would not survive.

“The real failure has been one of national security, of law and order maintenance, of basic decency for the people suffering the torment of violence,” Tharoor asserted.

Other Opposition leaders echoed similar concerns, though they supported the resolution. Sayani Ghosh of the Trinamool Congress stated that while her party backed the resolution, they advocated for the swift restoration of peace. “President’s Rule was ultimately imposed in Manipur, what is noteworthy is it took the government 22 months to decide and in the meantime many innocent people lost their lives. If President’s Rule was the solution, why was it not imposed months ago when people were dying, thousands were losing their livelihoods, women were being paraded naked? The delay in imposing the President’s Rule proves that the BJP government neither had the will nor had the competence to handle the Manipur Crisis and the administration watched quietly as the ethnic tensions spiraled out of control,” said the Jadavpur MP.

DMK’s K. Kanimozhi also expressed her desire for an end to the “divisive politics” in the state, calling for the return of peace and harmony. “We want normalcy to return, peace and harmony should be restored. We also want the formation of an elected government,” she said.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Arvind Sawant voiced his concern over the ongoing violence, stressing the urgent need for peace. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule similarly acknowledged that while President’s Rule was not ideal for democracy, it was necessary under the current circumstances. She urged for stronger intervention from the Home Minister to bring lasting peace to Manipur.

The resolution, titled 'Consideration on the Proclamation issued by the President on 13th February 2025 under Article 356(1) of the Constitution in relation to the State of Manipur’, was adopted by the House through a voice vote.​