Manipur CM N Biren Singh’s first interview to any media after violence breaks out in the state on may 3

Here are the excerpts from the exclusive interview

Manipur CM N Biren Singh, in his first interview to any media after violence broke out in the state on May 3, 2023, spoke to Northeast Live Editor-in-Chief Wasbir Hussain. Here are the excerpts from the exclusive interview.

Wasbir Hussain: Difficult times indeed for you. Today is 49th day since violence began. How would you like to describe the situation now?

CM N Biren Singh: Whatever happened is very sad for everyone. I share my deepest condolence to all the victims as well for those are in the relief camps for suffering since last 49 days. Some people have lost their lives. Now with the support of the people of the state and with the co-operation and the guidance from the Union Home Ministry, the situation is normalising slowly slowly. In the last 3-4 days, no unwanted incident has taken place. The government is trying to restore normalcy in the state at the earliest. We are contacting with different personalities from different community in Manipur and approaching to bring normalcy in the state with all available means.

Wasbir Hussain: Do you agree that peace can be restored not by the government alone but with the support and cooperation of individuals and leading civil society organisations on both sides, whether the Hills or the Imphal valley? I am sure you are aware of that. I am sure you are taking efforts in that direction sd your said.

CM N Biren Singh: Yes you are absolutely right. As I mentioned, with the support of the masses, civil society organisations, all communities, involvement of the community leaders, civil society leaders, whoever is in the state need to take part and they are taking part to bring normalcy in the state. Their involvement is very important.

Wasbir Hussain: You have now three priorities: first, maintaining law and order, second, providing relief, and third, providing rehabilitation of the huge number of displaced people. These are difficult challenges isn’t it?

CM N Biren Singh: Yes, it is tough time and whatever is happening in the state is not only a mere law and order issues, but it is mix of issues. I do not want to elaborate, but I deny that it is just a law and order issue. It is a mix of issues which needs to be reviewed and solved cautiously.

Wasbir Hussain: The National highway is once again blocked and the national highway 37 is continues to be the only lifeline to Manipur. How is your government providing relief in the Hills and the Valley?

CM N Biren Singh: Blocking of the National Highway 2 is very unfortunate, we have made appeal many times and the government is trying to open the highways at the earliest. Yesterday also, I sent my DGP to talk with the agitating people, I hope it will open very soon. In the meantime, the Imphal-Jiribam road (NH 37) is working 24/7 and the adequate enough essential commodities are available in state so nothing to be worried about.

The supplies sent to the Hills and Valley areas by the government is going well. In Churachandpur there are around 107 relief camps and the total persons living in the relief camp is 15,200. We have already issued 3,000 bags of rice and around 700 bags of dal (lentils). Along with that we have been providing mosquito net, oil and every thing because we constituted district level monitoring committee of the essential commodity of the relief camps.

In the Kangpokpi area there total 55 relief camps, where around 9,430 people are living and the government has issued around 1,200 quintal rice along with dal (lentils) drinking water and essential commodities.

Similarly, in Tengnoupal, there are 8 relief camps and 750 persons are living there. We have issued 260 bags of rice, bedsheets, mosquito nets and other essentials. We have assigned officers to monitor camps in each and every part of the districts in the state.

Wasbir Hussain: You have sent an all-party delegation of NPP, JDU and others, including BJP to New Delhi. They have met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, BL Santosh. Most of the organisations in the hills say that the ball is in the central governments court, so are apprising the central government through the team of the situation and that you want assistance from the central government for the benefit of the people, both in hills and valleys?

CM N Biren Singh: Because people are asking in wanting to know from the central government, here my point of view is different a little bit.

I cannot take part in single team. Because many Kuki brothers, MLAs, Naga brothers, MLAs are going there and meeting Union Ministers, I cannot just be only one group because I am a chief minister of Manipur where we are having 24 tribes.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state and stayed here for 3 nights. He has also deployed Union MoS Nityananda Rai who stayed here for more than 25 days.

I am mentioning this because, in India, many cases have taken place in many places but I am surprised to know that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the one Home Minister who stayed 3 nights in a state to monitor and handle the situation.

While I am satisfied with myself, I am dissatisfied that I am not being able to bring peace timely. That is failure from my part but whatever the central government have to do they are doing.

Around 50,000 troops, including paramilitary forces, India Army personnel have been deployed in the state. Army or helping a lot. Assam Rifles are doing their best, BSF, CRPF and state police, ARF, police commandos, IRB, are working day and night and saving the lives and the properties of the people of the state.

I have no doubt about the centre’s intention. The central government is monitoring the situation 24×7. There is not even a single day that Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not call me up.

To make the confidence of the all the team who went to meet the Union Ministers and got good response from them, I am very thankful for that.

Wasbir Hussain: Mr. N. Biren Singh, you are the chief minister who started this campaign to “go to the hills” to bridge the hill valley divide during your last year term which was a huge success. Are you sad about how things have turned out today and hoping that things would become like before?

CM N Biren Singh: Manipur has total of 16 districts, and only 2 or 3 of them are experiencing this situation.
Out of 16 districts, you can hardly see–Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Tengnupal, Imphal East, Imphal West, and some areas of Bishnupur are witnessing violence. So I am hopeful that normalcy will be restored very soon, and once again I will start the “go to hills go to village” campaign and I will bring the people together. That is my commitment.

Wasbir Hussain: In the past few days, we have heard reports that the Imphal valley’s civil society, organizations, groups, and individuals have been working really hard to find ways to bring peace and normalcy back to the state. Are you or anyone else planning something similar for the hills, especially in Kuki areas?

CM N Biren Singh: Involvement and understanding with the people are very much important. Given the view of the present situation in the state we have to be in touch with the masses and interaction and convincing are very important. That is why in the last 10 days I am continuously talking and interacting with the people of the state where some Naga community, Meitei community are also involved.

I have also invited the Pangal community people (Muslims of Manipur), because their support is very important.

Similarly, I am also requesting some of the Kuki leaders. I got a chance to talk on the telephone and I request that I am sending the nearest Naga leaders to their villages for interaction and interaction have already been started.

In the meantime, since the rainy season is coming the government will build pre-fabricated houses for the internally displaced people.

For those, who immediately cannot be returned to their previous villages the state government has identified some areas to construct pre-fabricated houses and all together where expecting 3000 to 4000 houses may be required.

Wasbir Hussain: In this whole effort, a lot of helpful be necessary from CSOs, elected representatives. Would you like to work together again with the 10 Kuki MLAs who have not come to the Imphal valley during the last one and a half month?

CM N Biren Singh: Why not. We are inseparable. when the screening of the illegal immigrants started I formed a cabinet sub-committee led by Letpao Haokip who is a Kuki. We have to live together. We are not against anybody. We are just simply trying to find out the outsider due to the prevailing situation in Myanmar, many has come to Manipur so we have to identify them and we have to keep them somewhere safe after the situation normalises in Myanmar, we will send them back there that is the only matter.

Wasbir Hussain: What is your appeal? What would you like to tell the Kukis and Meietis?

CM N Biren Singh: Everyone who are involved in the crisis and who are not and the people of the other community who are living in the state. I would like to appeal that please let us join hands to bring peace and normalcy in the state of Manipur so that we can live together again.

There should be a forgive-and-forget nature. We will have to sit together, talk together and we have to settle things for ourselves. I would like to apple to all of my citizens all my people, do not do violence and let us bring peace in the state.

Wasbir Hussain: In this kind of situation sitting, face-to-face together across the table is very important. Are you hopeful that very soon the two communities will be able to sit together and prepare it for peace?

CM N Biren Singh: I am contacting for that and it will become very soon. We may require around 1,500 houses (2 bedroom and 1 bathroom houses) in the valley. We will build around 200-300 houses at Tuibong village in Churachandpur and 300-400 houses in the Phungsal area. In Kangpokpi, we may require around 1000 houses. These houses will be built at places such as–Changoubung, Hengbung, Saparmeina and Saikul area.
In Tengnupal, around 300 houses will be built in the Dolaithabi area and 500-700 houses will be built at Kwakta. Prefabricated houses will also be built in Kakching and Bishnupur areas.

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