Clamour grows for CM's ouster; disquiet in BJP

EVEN WITHIN THE BJP, SOME LEADERS SAID THE CM WAS SEEN AS A LEADER OF ONLY THE MEITEI AND HAD LOST THE TRUST OF THE KUKIS

- Sunetra Choudhury

Clamour for the ouster of Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh mounted on Friday as questions swirled about his government’s lax response to the barbaric sexual assault of two women by a mob that stripped them and paraded them naked two months ago with disquiet about the Meitei strongman’s role growing even within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Singh position as the head of the state government has appeared increasingly untenable after a 30-second clip of the women being paraded and groped – a first information report (FIR) registered later said one of the women was gang-raped and her brother murdered for trying to intervene – went viral on Wednesday, triggering a nationwide outcry. Though police arrested four accused on Thursday, questions remained about why the police didn’t act earlier or reach out to the victims for two months after the first complaint was filed.

In Delhi and Imphal, calls rose for the removal of Singh – who belongs to the dominant Meitei community, one of the two groups locked in ethnic clashes that have claimed at least 150 lives – from the Opposition and even some party colleagues.

“Every section has lost confidence in Biren Singh. He was silent for seven days after May 3. He says that he came to know about the May 4 incident only when the video became viral. This government must go, Article 355 must be applied, consequently, President’s Rule should be imposed in Manipur,” said former Union minister P Chidambaram.

Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha member from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also called for his resignation. “What is happening today is horrendous, horrific, catastrophic, and of much greater magnitude than 2017,” he said. “The situation demands accountability and transparency from the double-engine government.”