Manipur CM Biren Singh gets into Twitter spat with Kuki users, then deletes

Hours after an intense resignation drama, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh found himself responding to social media users who had been targeting him, only to later delete his response.

The unfolding events began when Singh appeared to initiate the process of stepping down on a Friday afternoon. However, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside his Imphal residence, preventing him from reaching the Governor's residence merely 200 meters away. Among the demonstrators were numerous Meitei women who hailed the BJP leader and ripped apart a paper stating his resignation.

In response to the dramatic scenes, Singh took to Twitter to "clarify" that he would not be resigning from his post as Chief Minister, putting an end to the speculations that had been circulating since morning.

While ethnic violence continued to plague the state for nearly two months, Singh, being a Meitei, faced accusations from Kuki groups for taking sides.

One social media user, Thang Kuki, commented on Singh's post, stating, "You should have resigned a long time ago."

“Are you from India or Myanmar,” Singh replied, raising the point about the Kuki community in Manipur sharing cultural ties with their counterparts in Myanmar. When another user stated that a significant Meitei population was living in the neighbouring country, Singh wrote, "Meitei in Myanmar never ask for their homeland in Myanmar."

Another user identified himself as a citizen of the proposed separate state by Kukis, Zalengam. To this, Singh replied, "Can be in Myanmar."

Singh emphasized, "Don’t bark without knowing the ground realities, mainland will not understand the complexity of Myanmar border Indian state."

The resignation drama unfolded less than a week after Singh's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during which he briefed Shah about the situation in Manipur. Following the meeting, Singh expressed uncertainty about the chaotic state of affairs in his region.

Opposition parties, including nine Meitei MLAs (eight from the BJP), wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding Singh's removal. Various Kuki groups in Manipur accuse Singh of providing support to clandestine and violent Meitei groups involved in several incidents of violence over the past two months.

On May 3, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur between the numerically dominant Meitei community, constituting 53% of the state's population, and tribal communities, particularly Kukis residing primarily in the hill districts. The clashes ensued after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' protested the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.