Amit Shah Meets Biren Singh Amid Efforts to End President's Rule in Manipur

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a crucial meeting with former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh at his residence in New Delhi on Friday. The meeting, which lasted over an hour, focused on laying the groundwork for the formation of a government in the northeastern state, which has been under President's Rule for the past 11 months. According to sources, the central leadership is keen on restoring a popular government and ending the President's Rule, which was imposed in February 2023. The meeting comes amid ongoing efforts to resolve the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis that erupted in May 2023, leaving at least 260 people dead and 60,000 displaced. The Home Minister's office had called Biren Singh for the meeting, which was held in the evening. The talks reportedly covered the challenges facing the state and the need to create a conducive environment for the formation of a government. While there is no timeline set for the restoration of the government, sources indicate that the central leadership is working towards a resolution. This is Shah's second meeting related to Manipur in the past fortnight, following a security review held on January 2. The Union Home Ministry has also held talks with various stakeholders, including Kuki-Zo civil society bodies and insurgent groups under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact. The Kuki-Zo groups have expressed their willingness to support the formation of a government, but only if it commits to working towards a separate Union territory for the hill districts. The ethnic violence has continued despite the deployment of thousands of security personnel, and the state is set to mark one year of President's Rule on February 13.