2 years of Manipur conflict—Congress demands fresh elections, says President's Rule no solution
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, the party's Manipur unit chief and MLA Keisham Meghachandra Singh said the people of the state would welcome a fresh mandate, as the BJP governments— both in the state and at the Centre—have failed to offer any solution.
Even as it described the Centre's move to place Manipur under President's Rule as a direct admission of the BJP's failure, the Congress high command had so far refrained from demanding midterm elections in the state. The BJP had won 32 seats in the 60-member Manipur assembly in the 2022 polls.
New Delhi: The Congress Saturday demanded fresh elections in Manipur, where ethnic violence erupted two years ago to the day, saying the imposition of President's rule has failed to resolve the crisis and only a democratically-elected government can restore order in the state.
Two years have passed since the outbreak of violence in Manipur on 3rd May 2023, a tragic day that was a black day in our nation's history. The ongoing conflict, which was exacerbated by the BJP-led government's inaction, remains unresolved. BJP's double engine govt is the… pic.twitter.com/nEQbCxYU9P
— Congress (@INCIndia) May 3, 2025
'If there is no dialogue, if the constitutional machinery has failed, then what should we expect more? We want to have a fresh mandate because the double-engine government has failed to administer the state,' Meghachandra said. 'Even if there is President's Rule, we don't have any trust in it and we demand this fresh mandate. If the Congress comes to power in the state, we can bring peace and normalcy.'
At the press conference, the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) Manipur in-charge Saptagiri Ulaka, who represents Odisha's Koraput constituency in the Lok Sabha, echoed Meghachandra's words, saying the President's Rule, imposed in February this year, 'has not been able to provide any solution'.
'We want elections to be held so that there are elected representatives who can form a government. We have seen how the President's Rule has not been able to resolve the crisis. The government is not making any attempts to make an outreach to the different communities either. So, I think that is the only solution, when you have a democratically elected government, then only can you provide a solution to Manipur,' said Ulaka.
Over 260 people have been killed, 1,500 injured, and over 60,000 displaced in Manipur since ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and the Kuki communities on 3 May 2023. On 13 February this year, four days after N. Biren Singh resigned as chief minister of Manipur, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the imposition of President's Rule in the state under Article 356 of the Constitution, keeping the Assembly in suspended animation.
In April, the Parliament adopted a statutory resolution confirming the imposition of the President's rule in the state.
Earlier Saturday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur even once in the last two years as the ethnic chasm deepened.
'What happened to the peace committee announced by the Home Minister? Why didn't you meet the affected people of all communities, even in Delhi? Why didn't you announce a special package for the state? Modi ji, once again, you failed upholding – Rajdharma!' Kharge posted on X.
Manipur observes two years of violence without the Prime Minister setting foot on its soil.
The violence began on May 3, 2023 and still continues. Just two days ago, 25 people were injured in a violent clash in Tamenglong district.
More than 260 people have died. 68,000 people… pic.twitter.com/zZ1pyUGJC9
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 3, 2025
Kharge claimed that the PM made 44 foreign visits during this period and 250 domestic trips across India. 'Yet you have not spent a single second in Manipur. Why this apathy and disdain for the people of Manipur? Where is the political accountability?'
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also Read: As Centre steps in, Manipur underground groups tell cadre to 'lie low', but situation still volatile
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