‘Biren is out now, so why the killings?’: Former Manipur CM accuses party colleagues of plotting his ouster

Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has accused sections of the BJP’s state leadership of conspiring with the Congress to remove him from office in February 2025, while questioning why violence continued in Manipur despite his departure.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, Singh said the BJP government, now led by Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh, must urgently work to regain public confidence ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled for early next year.

Questioning the argument that his removal was necessary to restore peace, Biren Singh asked why violence had continued and spread to other communities after he stepped down.

“Now Biren is out. So, what happened now? How many Naga brothers have died? They were blaming me. They were saying I favour the majority. Now it is Christians versus Christians. Where has the European Union gone?” he asked.

Singh was referring to the European Parliament’s July 2023 resolution expressing concern over the ethnic violence in Manipur and calling for the protection of religious minorities and independent investigations.

The former Chief Minister alleged that some BJP leaders in Manipur had opposed his leadership and worked to force his resignation.

“I had not been treated well since 2017. I am not accusing the Delhi leadership but sections of the state leaders who conspired against me with the Congress,” he told PTI.

“There are MLAs who could never accept how I became CM twice after having crossed over from the Congress. They consider BJP as their property. So they plotted, planned and made me resign,” he added.

Singh also expressed concern over what he described as a decline in public confidence in the BJP government. He said the administration needed to communicate its actions more effectively and demonstrate progress on issues central to the party’s agenda.

“That is my main worry,” he said when asked whether public anxiety could affect the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections.

He specifically referred to the anti-drug campaign, efforts to curb poppy cultivation and the identification of suspected illegal immigrants through biometric registration. Singh said these initiatives, which he claimed had been pursued during his tenure, should continue.

“The government should also continue biometric identification of suspected illegal immigrants. At least identify them. And even if you can't deport the illegal immigrants, at least you can keep them in camps. What we have started, continue it. And save the future,” he said.

Singh added that the government needed to share information about its activities with the public to rebuild trust. Recalling his administration’s approach, he said officials had regularly informed the media about the number of suspected illegal immigrants identified.

“For one-and-a-half years, no one has heard about it,” he said.

Despite his criticism of the present government's functioning, Singh backed the BJP's return to power in the state.

“If you want to save Manipur, if you want to brighten the future of Manipur, the only way is to bring BJP back,” he said.

Asked whether he expected to return as Chief Minister if the BJP retained power, Singh said the decision would depend on the party securing a majority.

“How can I say that? I can only say that there is intense public demand. People want me back as CM. But such decisions depend on us getting majority,” he said.

Singh also expressed regret that he could not complete the work he had undertaken during his tenure, blaming internal divisions and political infighting.

“You need a cancer expert to treat cancer, not ortho. I feel bad that I could not complete what I had set out to do due to disunity and infighting,” he said.

Singh resigned on February 9, 2025, amid mounting dissent within the ruling BJP and the possibility of a no-confidence motion by the Congress. Y. Khemchand Singh, who was then a minister in his cabinet, was among the senior BJP leaders reportedly seeking a change in leadership.

A former footballer and journalist, N. Biren Singh became Manipur's Chief Minister on March 15, 2017, heading the state's first BJP-led government. He returned to office for a second term in March 2022 after the party secured a majority in the Assembly.

His latest remarks mark a pointed criticism of the circumstances surrounding his resignation and the functioning of the current BJP government, even as he has called for the party to retain power in the state.