Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, on Saturday, sought to clarify the high drama in Imphal a day ago when a group of protestors convinced him against resigning from the CM's post, saying he decided to resign as he felt the government lost the trust of people.
"I saw effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah being burnt at a few places in the state, saw attempts of attack on BJP office. What the Centre did for Maipur and we did for Manipur in five-six years, I doubted if we have lost the trust of people. Thinking about this made me feel bad. Abusive language was used by a small group against me a few days back at a market. It didn't feel good. So I decided to resign," Singh said.
The CM had typed out a resignation letter but was persuaded by his supporters to tear it up. Images of the torn resignation letter had gone viral on Friday.
You can't be a leader without public confidence, Singh said and added that he decided against resignation after the crowd of supporters outside his residence cried and told him not to resign. "They told me not to resign. If they tell me to resign, I will; if they tell me not to, I won't."
Speaking about Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state, he sought to know why the Congress leader did not visit the state earlier and alleged that he came with a political agenda. "We can't stop anyone. But the timing - it has been 40 days. Why did he not come earlier? He is a Congress leader, but in what capacity was he making the visit? I don't think the timing was right. He seemed to have come with a political agenda."
Did Rahul Gandhi come to the state for political mileage, the CM asked.
He said all efforts are being made at all levels to restore peace. "I spoke with our Kuki brothers and sisters over the telephone that let us forgive and forget; reconcile and live together like we always have. The government has only tried to screen the people coming from outside in the wake of Myanmar turmoil and send them back once the situation improves. Our priority is to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
The CM said the involvement of outside elements in the Manipur violence cannot be denied. "Manipur is a neighbour to Myanmar. There is China nearby; 398 km of our borders are porous, and unguarded. There is Indian security force but such a large area can't be guarded. But going by what is happening, we can neither deny nor vehemently affirm (anything). It seems pre-planned but the reason is not known," the CM said.