Parliament on Tuesday approved a resolution to extend President’s rule in Manipur for another six months, amid slogan-shouting and disruptions by Opposition members demanding a discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar.

The statutory resolution, already passed by the Lok Sabha, was cleared by the Rajya Sabha even as most Opposition members abstained from participating in the discussion, choosing instead to raise slogans.

Minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai moved the resolution, stating: “That this House approves the continuance in force of the Proclamation dated the 13th February, 2025, in respect of Manipur, issued under Article 356 of the Constitution by the President, for a further period of six months with effect from 13th August 2025.”

When deputy chairman Harivansh invited DMK’s Tiruchi Siva and Trinamool Congress’s Sushmita Dev to speak, both refused, insisting on a discussion on the SIR issue instead.

Biju Janata Dal MP Muzibulla Khan opposed the extension, saying it was evidence of the “double-engine” BJP government’s failure in the state.

Rai, in his reply, said the crisis in Manipur stemmed from a rift between two communities following a court order and should not be termed communal violence. He added that peace had returned to the state. The resolution was adopted amid the din.

President’s rule was first imposed in Manipur earlier this year after the resignation of the chief minister and the failure to form an alternative government. In April, both Houses had debated the imposition, with Opposition leaders slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the strife-torn state.

Home minister Amit Shah, defending the move in Rajya Sabha at the time, said earlier instances of communal unrest in Manipur had also not seen visits by incumbent Prime Ministers. He insisted the situation necessitated central rule in the absence of a functioning government.

Tribe clash

A tribal organisation in Manipur’s Churachandpur on Tuesday asked the Kuki Zo Council, an association of the indigenous people, not to operate in Zomi-majority areas of the district, asserting that it does not recognise the legitimacy of the term “Kuki Zo”.

Zomi Council, the apex body of the tribe, in a statement, claimed: “It has learnt that certain authorities in the central government have invited a particular civil society organisation from the Manipur hills to surreptitiously discuss the issue of reopening national highways for free access.”

Any discussion in this regard must involve the participation of the Zomi Council and its affiliated bodies, without which any arrangement would be considered “obsolete and untenable”, it said.

Recalling that the Zomi Council had rejected the “Kuki Zo” as a legitimate identity in May 2024, it asserted that “any organisation bearing the name ‘Kuki-Zo Council’
stands rejected and is unwelcome in all Zomi-inhabited areas, particularly within Churachandpur district and Lamka township.”

The council also asked the Kuki-Zo Council to set up its office only in areas where they are accepted.

Additional reporting by PTI