Manipur CM Biren Singh resigns amid audio tape controversy

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned on Sunday after meeting with the state’s Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Imphal and has been asked to continue as Caretaker CM until a new appointment is made.

Sources said that the possibility of a no-confidence motion and a floor test by the Congress-led opposition were key factors in his resignation. While the BJP has the numbers despite the withdrawal of support by Conrad Sangma's National Peoples' Party, there was a possibility that the MLAs who sought a change in leadership, would have disregarded a party whip in case of a floor test. 

To avert that possibility, the Chief Minister stepped down--two years after ethnic violence broke out in the state-- after conferring with the Central leadership. Singh had gone to Delhi this morning where he met party chief JP Nadda and its chief strategist, Union minister Amit Shah. 

Sources also said the BJP, given its string of successes in the Maharashtra, Haryana, and Delhi assembly elections, did not want a crisis that could overshadow the positive political narrative.

The clamour against Biren Singh grew after a person from the Kuki community went to the Supreme Court alleging the Chief Minister had instigated the violence in the state. His complaint was based on leaked audio tapes purportedly of the Chief Minister.

Non-profit private forensic laboratory Truth Labs has confirmed that 93 per cent of the audio tapes matched Singh's voice. The Supreme Court has sought a report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory on the leaked audio tapes.

Manipur has been grappling with ethnic violence that broke out in May 2023, killing over 250 people and rendering thousands homeless. The BJP government has been under scrutiny for its handling of the crisis.