Biren Singh says he was forced to resign due to Manipur crisis

Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh stressed the need to restore a “popular government” in the state on Wednesday, asserting that he had been compelled to step down due to the deteriorating situation.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a public programme, the BJP leader said, “We all know how President’s Rule came to be imposed in the state. There is a need for a popular government, and it should come. I have stood for popular government from the very beginning. Due to the situation, I was forced to resign.”

He expressed concern over the hardships faced by the people in the absence of an elected government. “In a popular government, people and administrators can go hand in hand more comfortably,” he added.

Earlier in the day, while addressing a gathering at Heingang in Imphal East district, Singh reflected on the challenges he faced during his tenure, particularly over his government’s eviction drives.

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Citing Assam as a contrast, he said, “While the people of Assam have supported their government’s eviction drive wholeheartedly, the action taken in Manipur did not receive the same level of support.”

The former chief minister pointed out that his efforts to remove encroachments along national highways and from reserved forests were met with criticism. “When I evicted a section of encroachers along the national highway, I was called communal. The eviction drives were for the people and the state—not for me,” he said.

Singh also mentioned the backlash over his government’s war on drugs. “I am even asked why I launched a campaign to eradicate drugs,” he remarked, underlining the personal and political toll of such initiatives.

His comments come amid ongoing calls from various quarters for the restoration of an elected government in Manipur, which has been under President’s Rule due to prolonged unrest and administrative breakdown.