Context:
After months of unrest and four days following Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s resignation, the government at the Centre imposed President’s Rule over Manipur on February 13, 2025.
This was the last effort to prevent the government from full blind failure followed by a constitutional crisis due to the expired deadline for the assembly session.
Erosion of State Legitimacy
- Failure of the `’Double engine Sarkar’ Story
- The imposition of President’s Rule is contrary to claim that it brought efficiency in governance as far as central and state governments are convened.
- Trust Deficit
- More than 21 months of violence coupled with charges of complicity of the state and partiality have left the public trust in institutions diminished.
- Biren Singh’s Contribution in the Conflict
- A forensic report submitted to the Supreme Court suggesting that Singh contributed to the ethnic conflict further debunked the credibility of the former government.
Restore Institutional Trust and Rule of Law
- Not just Symbolic
- President’s Rule wise development is essential ground but cannot stop without solid action in the direction of restoring state legitimacy.
- Ending Partisan Politics
- It should contest from aligning with popular majoritarian ultra nationalistic propensities which incite ethnic divisions.
- Addressing Structural Problems
- Structural inclusiveness and sufficient representation levels have worsened the legitimacy crisis; hence, the introduction of reform is inevitable.
Constructing Legitimacy and Justice
- Law and Order Cannot Be Outsourced
- This has to be put to an end with regard to vigilante and arms groups acting as tools for political or ethnic agendas.
- Demobilizing Armed Groups
- Perpetrators must be disarmed and held accountable for violence to pave the way toward reconciliation.
- Justice and Reconciliation
- Adjudication should prioritize ensuring fair trials and reparations for victims.
Political Solutions and Not Law and Order Solutions
- Big Requirement for Negotiated Settlement
- History of insurgency in the State dictates that not purely administrative measure but rather political resolution should solve the issue.
- Tackling Autonomy Demands
- Proposals to declare Manipur a ‘hill state’ in order to neutralize the Kuki Zomi Hmar demands have to be weighed very carefully as they may create further divisions.
- Balancing Interests at the Regional Level
- Would only incite separatism rather than securing territorial integrity by any move towards centralization of power and abolition of existing Article 371C tribal protections.
The Future Is Decentralization
- Power Redistribution
- Instead of centralizing authority, President’s Rule is for dispersing power and enhancing the power of the communities that have suffered marginalization.
- Institutional Reforms
- Empirical strengthening of sub State constitutional asymmetry, with equal resource and representation distributions, can help in some mitigation of glaring grievances.
- Not Majoritarian Rule
- Any attempt to use the present crisis to promote the rule of a dominant community would deepen the conflicts and weaken Manipur’s fragile peace.
