A conglomerate of Meitei civil society organisations on Friday said the imposition of President’s rule in Manipur was a “sudden, unreasonable and undemocratic” move after the “forced resignation” of chief minister N. Biren Singh, adding that it would push the state “further into turmoil”.

Even BJP insiders, including a sitting MLA, wondered why Singh had to resign a day before the now-cancelled Assembly session was to be convened and why the central leadership did not announce his successor instead of pushing the state towards central rule.

Singh resigned on Sunday evening, hours after returning from Delhi. His resignation came after over 21 months of the conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos that has left at least 260 dead and over 60,000 displaced.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (Cocomi) said in a statement that the move to impose President’s rule despite the BJP having an absolute majority in the Assembly raised “serious questions about the central government’s true intentions, as it shifts the blame onto the alleged incompetency of its own BJP MLAs rather than addressing the real issues at hand”.

It alleged that the “forced” resignation of the chief minister, just before a crucial Assembly session, without any proper explanation to the people was an “outright betrayal of democratic principles”.

“The fundamental question remains unanswered: was this decision made for the welfare of the people or was it a calculated move to deepen the crisis? What shocks the people of Manipur and the entire nation even more is the fact that such a drastic decision was taken without even having an alternative leader in place to ensure a smooth transition of governance”, the statement said.

“This power manoeuvre indicates an agenda to place Manipur, particularly the Meitei community, under direct military control. This decision conveniently aligns with the longstanding demands of Kuki militants and separatist groups who have been advocating the imposition of the Afspa and President’s rule in Manipur,” the Cocomi claimed.

It demanded an “immediate and time-bound process to elect a new leader and restore a popular government at the earliest”.

Even BJP insiders, including an MLA that The Telegraph spoke to, said several questions had plagued them since Singh’s resignation.

• Why did Singh quit on the eve of the Assembly session? Why didn’t the central leadership tell him to quit after his first visit to Delhi on February 5?

• Why was President’s rule imposed and the Assembly placed under animated suspension? Was it a law and order situation or was the NDA not staking claim to form the government?

• Why did the group opposed to Singh not stake claim despite claiming majority?

• Will President’s rule help restore normalcy?

BJP insiders said they were in the dark about what was happening, with the party’s Northeast coordinator, Sambit Patra, “assuring” them that the Centre would decide on the next leader in the best interest of Manipur.

“But that did not happen. Most MLAs were unhappy with Biren Singh over his inability to contain the unrest even after 21 months. Nobody staked claim because we knew the Centre would take the decision and it was not about the numbers,” a BJP insider said.

According to another BJP insider, Singh quit after it became clear he did not enjoy the majority in the 59-member House. “President’s rule was not imposed because of the unrest but because the NDA did not stake claim to form the government. We are hearing our former chief minister has not given up hope of staging a comeback,” he said.

Patra on Friday said the Manipur Assembly “can be revived on a future dateas and when President Droupadi Murmu deems fit” depending on the circumstances in the state.

He said the BJP was “committed to the continuing efforts for peace in the state,and most importantly, to maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur”.

Patra said the BJP was against illegal immigration and would deal with it with an iron hand.

Singh had in a post on X flagged the influx issue on Thursday night. “My Dear Indigenous Friends, Our land and identity are under threat. With a small population and limited resources, we stand vulnerable. I monitored and detected illegal immigration tirelessly until May 2, 2023. But after the tragic events of 3rd May, 2023 our state machinery has struggled to respondeffectively.... I urge all concerned authorities to take serious note and intensify efforts to detect and deport illegal immigrants from Manipur,” he had posted.

Singh and Meitei organisations hold the influx of Kuki-Zos from Myanmar responsible for the unrest. The Kukis blame the state government and radical elements within the Meitei community for the turmoil.