Why some Kuki-Zo MLAs and CSOs fear N Biren Singh’s return to power?

Nongthombam Biren Singh, the former Chief Minister of Manipur, emerges as a towering figure in Northeast India’s political saga—a leader endowed with an almost prophetic ability to foresee Manipur’s looming crisis. To his admirers, Biren was a visionary who confronted the state’s existential threats: drug cartels, poppy cultivation, deforestation, and illegal immigration. His tenure was a relentless battle against forces he predicted would unravel Manipur, his triumphs a testament to his foresight, and his fall a tragic consequence of a state unprepared for his prescience. It wouldn’t be wrong to credit N Biren Singh as the man who knew the future, whose warnings have proven true, and whose legacy remains a haunting cautionary tale.

The ongoing crisis in Manipur is often misrepresented as an ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, but this framing ignores deeper systemic issues. Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has consistently argued that the real battle is against illegal immigration, drug trafficking, deforestation, and poppy cultivation—forces that threaten the state’s social fabric, environmental stability, and governance.

He has long been a target of criticism from Kuki-Zo MLAs, who, at the onset of the Manipur crisis, insisted that peace was impossible as long as he remained in office. They demanded his resignation, claiming it was a prerequisite for any peace talks. With foresight, Biren Singh warned that these demands were merely a facade for a deeper agenda to destabilize and fragment Manipur.

After two years of escalating tensions, Biren resigned, and President’s Rule was imposed, meeting the MLAs' key demands. Yet, peace remains elusive, as the Kuki-Zo MLAs have now shifted their focus to demanding a separate administration. Biren, who anticipated such tactics, has consistently cautioned the public about forces seeking to dismantle Manipur’s unity, urging vigilance against those whose ever-changing demands threaten the state’s integrity.

Even after stepping down as Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh continued to enjoy unwavering support. Various civil society organizations (CSOs) from the Naga communities and even the Meitei people gathered at his residence in Luwangsangbam daily. The public interaction program, once held under the mango tree inside the Chief Minister’s bungalow, seamlessly carried on at his home. His popularity remains intact, unfazed by the alleged audio tapes currently under scrutiny in the Supreme Court.

For some Kuki-Zo Members of the Legislative Assembly and Civil Society Organizations, Biren represents a formidable threat due to his uncompromising policies. His tenure, marked by the “War on Drugs,” forest conservation drives, and the termination of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups, was seen by these groups as targeting their communities, fueling accusations of bias and marginalization. The fear of Biren’s potential return to power, heightened by a recent closed-door meeting on May 5, 2025, between ex CM N Biren Singh and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra, stems from the belief that his leadership could suppress Kuki-Zo aspirations for a Separate Administration.

Sambit Patra’s role as the BJP’s Northeast in-charge and his prior involvement in Biren’s resignation process—accompanying him to meet Governor Ajay Bhalla on February 9, 2025—suggests the party values Biren’s influence despite his exit. The closed-door nature of the meeting, coupled with the BJP’s ongoing search for a new Chief Minister, indicates that Biren may be consulted on leadership transitions or offered a national role, such as a Rajya Sabha seat. For Kuki-Zo MLAs and CSOs, this meeting raises alarm, as it signals that Biren’s vision—territorial integrity, anti-drug crusades, and resistance to separatism—could shape the BJP’s future strategy in Manipur, even if he does not return as Chief Minister.

The meeting has also sparked speculation about Biren’s political comeback, either as a king or a kingmaker. However, an insider revealed that Sambit Patra sought N. Biren Singh’s opinion on his preferred choice for the next Chief Minister if a popular government were to be established in Manipur soon. Given Manipur’s ongoing President’s Rule and the BJP’s search for a unifying leader, Biren’s influence remains significant. If he returns to power, several scenarios could unfold, intensifying Kuki-Zo fears.

Biren emerges as a tragic yet prophetic figure, a leader who foresaw Manipur’s crises—drug trafficking, deforestation, illegal immigration, and orchestrated violence—but whose uncompromising approach alienated certain communities. His “Go to Hills” initiative (2017) sought to bridge valley-hill disparities, delivering roads and healthcare to tribal areas, while “School Fagathansi” transformed education, reflecting his belief that an uneducated youth would fall prey to crime. The “CM Da Haisi” platform fostered transparency, and his “War on Drugs” reduced addiction rates, proving his foresight. His warnings about criminal networks manipulating ethnic narratives, voiced as early as 2018, materialized in the 2023 violence, which he attributed to cartels and militant collusion rather than ethnic conflicts in the state.

Biren’s “War on Drugs,” launched in 2018, aimed to dismantle Manipur’s role as a hub in the Golden Triangle’s opium network. By 2024, his administration had razed over 20,000 hectares of illegal poppy fields and seized narcotics worth Rs 70,000 crore, earning national acclaim. However, Kuki-Zo MLAs and CSOs argue that this campaign disproportionately targeted their hill-based tribal communities, where poppy cultivation was a livelihood for some impoverished farmers. They claim Biren’s aggressive raids and arrests ignored socio-economic realities, displacing families without providing alternative livelihoods. The Kuki Inpi has labeled these actions as racial profiling and an economic warfare, accusing Singh of undermining Kuki-Zo sustenance under the guise of anti-drug measures. The fear is that N Biren’s return could revive this hardline approach, allegedly the "groundswell of Kuki-Zo phobia" in the state.

N Biren’s environmental policies, particularly the eviction of encroachers from reserve forest lands, were framed as efforts to combat deforestation linked to poppy cultivation and illegal settlements. He warned that unchecked land use would lead to ecological collapse, a prediction now validated by Manipur’s ongoing biodiversity loss.

In an exclusive interview with India Today, N. Biren Singh reiterated his stance, emphasizing that his opposition is directed at illegal immigrants, not the Kuki community. He asserted that he did not create the current environment of unrest but believes there has been a sustained effort to destabilize his government. According to Biren, illegal immigrants have been contributing to tensions in the state—something he claims to have foreseen a decade ago. He also pointed to the increase in poppy cultivation and the rise in drug trafficking, issues he said he tried to combat within constitutional limits.

Kuki-Zo CSOs, however, view these evictions as targeted displacement, claiming they uprooted their villages while ignoring similar encroachments by other communities. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) accused Biren of using ecological pretexts to marginalize Kuki-Zo residents, many of whom claim historical ties to the land. If Biren returns, Kuki-Zo leaders fear intensified evictions, which could escalate displacement and fuel unrest among the Kuki Zo communities.

In 2023, Biren also terminated the SoO agreement with Kuki militant groups, arguing that these outfits had evolved from village defense units into organized factions colluding with drug cartels and pursuing separatist agendas. He warned that their activities, bolstered by illegal immigration from Myanmar, threatened Manipur’s unity—a prophecy seemingly confirmed by the surge in militant attacks in 2024, which claimed over 300 lives and making 70,000 homeless. Kuki-Zo MLAs and CSOs, however, saw the SoO as a critical peace mechanism. Its abrupt end, they argue, demonized their community, unleashed violence, and deepened mistrust. The Village Volunteer Force (VVF), a Kuki-Zo group, warned that Biren’s policies amounted to “waging war” against their people. A return to power could see Biren double down on anti-militant operations, potentially escalating violence and alienating Kuki-Zo communities further.

Since the 2023 violence, Kuki-Zo MLAs and CSOs have demanded a separate administration or Union Territory for their community, citing irreconcilable ethnic tensions. First, they demand the ouster of N Biren Singh from the CM post, then they demand the imposition of President Rule in Manipur. Even after getting both the demands, they are now hoping for the Separate Administration, which the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah rejected. Biren vehemently opposed this, emphasizing Manipur’s territorial integrity in his resignation letter and framing Kuki-Zo separatism as a threat fueled by “foreign conspiracies.” His resolution to abrogate the SoO pact, unanimously adopted by the Manipur Assembly in February 2024, was seen as a direct challenge to Kuki-Zo autonomy. Kuki-Zo leaders fear that his return would crush their political demands, potentially through intensified security operations or legislative measures like the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with a 1961 base year to identify “illegal settlers.”

The crackdown on illegal immigrants in Manipur was justified, as it aimed to counter the separatist ideology promoted by MLAs like Paolienlal Haokip. Haokip's recent rhetoric, which questions constitutional governance and accuses Biren of neglecting the people while pushing for de facto separation, challenges Manipur's integrity. Biren's actions were necessary to protect the state's unity and security against such divisive narratives.

Biren’s return could marginalize the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, including seven from the BJP, who have openly opposed him. Their refusal to meet Biren since 2023 and accusations of his “one-sided” approach suggest a complete breakdown in trust. A Biren-led government might sideline these MLAs, weakening Kuki-Zo representation and fueling demands for separate governance.

Biren’s warnings about criminal networks manipulating narratives could be tested if he returns back. The “Manipur Tapes” controversy, if  proven doctored, Biren could leverage the tapes to rally Meitei support, framing Kuki-Zo opposition as a conspiracy.

N. Biren Singh’s tenure was a high-stakes battle against Manipur’s existential threats, earning him admiration as a visionary who protected indigenous rights, and confronted criminal networks. Yet, for some Kuki-Zo MLAs and CSOs, he remains a nightmare whose policies marginalized their communities and fueled violence. Biren’s warnings about criminal orchestration and separatist agendas, now partially validated, suggest he was a prophet whose foresight was ignored by a state unprepared for his prescience.

In the turbulent geo politics of Manipur, N. Biren Singh’s leadership as Chief Minister sparked a profound awakening among indigenous communities. His firm stance on protecting the state’s territorial integrity and addressing illegal immigration stirred a collective resolve to confront longstanding challenges.

Whether revered or reviled, N. Biren Singh will be remembered as a pivotal figure who roused the indigenous communities of Manipur from a prolonged state of inaction, compelling them to confront existential challenges to their identity and homeland.

His tenure as Chief Minister brought to light issues that many believe were deliberately ignored or suppressed by previous governments—most notably, the long-term strategic ambitions of illegal Kuki-Zo immigrants from Myanmar, whose presence has been linked to separatist aspirations threatening the state’s unity. This unaddressed issue, now a Pandora’s box of ethnic and political complexities, highlights the urgency of vigilant governance.

Moving forward, we earnestly hope that whoever succeeds Biren will uphold and advance his resolute commitment to defending Manipur’s territorial integrity, preserving the rights and heritage of its indigenous peoples, and fostering a harmonious coexistence among the state’s diverse communities, ensuring a future where peace and unity prevail!