"Shutting stable door after horse has bolted": Kharge slams Manipur CM Biren Singh for "belated resignation"

"The resignation of BJP's Manipur CM is like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted!" Kharge wrote on X.

Kharge cornered BJP over Manipur violence saying "BJP ignited a fire in Manipur and left the people, across communities to fend for themselves."

He also targeted PM Modi calling him the "real culprit" while alleging that the PM has "forgotten" that Manipur is part of India.

"Prime Minister @narendramodi is the real culprit of this disdain and apathy. He has forgotten that Manipur is a part of India. It is high time he rejigs his memory and locate the state of Manipur on the map of India!" Kharge said.

"Their rank incompetence and utter disregard for Rajdharma resulted in at least 258 people having died, more than 5,600 arms & 6.5 lakh rounds of ammunition were looted from police armouries, more than 60,000 people displaced and thousands still forced to live in relief camps," Kharge claimed.

Further targeting PM Modi for not visiting Manipur, he urged him to visit the state and hear the "stories of horror" from the people.

"Modi ji has not stepped on Manipur's soil since his last election campaign in January 2022, although he had time to visit several foreign countries in between. Now that the CM has belatedly resigned, we hope and urge him to visit Manipur and hear the stories of horror from the people. Congress party's no-confidence motion, mounting public pressure, and the Supreme Court investigation has resulted in the discredited CM's resignation. Thank goodness that this time it's not a 2023-like-resignation-drama, and better sense has prevailed!" Kharge said.

Earlier in the day, Biren Singh tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhawan nearly two years after the violence marred the state.

He was accompanied by BJP president A Sharda, BJP's North East Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra, along with at least 19 MLAs.

"It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur so far," Singh said in his resignation letter.

The violence between the Meitei and the Kuki communities in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023, following the Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list.

Additionally, BJP MP from Darrang- Udalguri, Assam, Dilip Saikia said, "I have just got the information about his resignation...It is his decision. I will discuss this with my cabinet and our party will decide the next course of discussions. We just want Manipur to progress and have peace." (ANI)