Meitei body slams Prez Rule, BJP vows support

Manipur's biggest Meitei body on Friday criticised the imposition of President's Rule even as the Bharatiya Janata Party reaffirmed its commitment to the state's territorial integrity and the Opposition blamed the ruling party for destabilising the province and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention.

- Thomas Ngangom

IMPHAL:

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an Imphal-based Meitei organisation, called President's Rule as "sudden and unreasonable." Its statement came a day after Kuki groups welcomed central rule.

"The imposition of President's Rule in Manipur, despite the BJP having an absolute majority in the state, appears to be a deliberate ploy to push Manipur further into turmoil...The undemocratic imposition of President's Rule is unacceptable," the body said.

The developments came a day after the Union government announced it was imposing President's Rule in Manipur, potentially averting a constitutional crisis after failing to find someone to replace former chief minister N Biren Singh who resigned on February 9.

The Manipur assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, was put under suspended animation, which means that the House has not been dissolved, and its members will continue to be MLAs.