Imphal: The President’s rule has been extended in trouble-hit Manipur for another 6 months. It will be effective from August 13 onwards. The decision to extend the President’s rule has been taken looking at the stable law and order situations and decreased in violence in the last six months.
The announcement was made during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, formalising a move that had long been speculated in political circles as violence has decreased and the state needs some coordinated security measures to reestablish sustainable peace. The decision comes months after the central government took control of the administration in Manipur in February this year, following the escalation of ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
President's Rule in Manipur extended for another 6 months — a clear admission that the Prime Minister has failed to restore peace.
He finds time to give speeches across the world, but not the courage to visit Manipur.
A government that can't face its own people has no moral… pic.twitter.com/x1V2AuEMRC
— SS Kim (@KimHaokipINC) July 25, 2025
Replying to a statutory resolution to extend the President’s Rule in the state, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai defended the Centre’s action, citing improved conditions and a sharp drop in fatalities.
“What can be bigger proof of peace returning than the fact that since President’s Rule was imposed, there has been only one fatality. There have been no casualties in the last four months,” he told Parliament.
Rai argued that the continuation of the President’s Rule was essential to restoring full peace and stability.
“The law and order situation is under control. There is peace prevailing there,” he added.
However, the decision has also triggered a new wave of political reactions, especially from former Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who broke his silence on X with a strongly worded post.
Singh, who led the BJP government in Manipur during the initial months of the crisis, appeared to place part of the blame on the Congress party’s legacy in the region. In a direct jab at former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Singh alleged that it was under his tenure that individuals like Thanglianpau Guite, a Myanmar national, were brought into Manipur and legitimised through the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.
“Looking back, it was P Chidambaram who brought in a Myanmar national like Thanglianpau Guite into Manipur, India, and made him an important part of the SoO agreement,” Singh posted.
In another tweet, Singh condemned earlier remarks allegedly made by Chidambaram suggesting that dividing the state could be a solution to the ongoing crisis.
“To suggest breaking up Manipur—a state with over 2,000 years of civilisational history and a princely kingdom that chose to merge with India—is not only divisive but utterly irresponsible,” Singh wrote.
He further blamed such political approaches for years of unrest across the Northeast, claiming that instability in the region often stemmed from policy-level mishandling by central leaders unfamiliar with the ground realities.
The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki Zo community began in May 2023. The prolonged crisis in the Northeastern continuing for over 2 years has taken lives of over 200 people and more than 60,000 people were internally displaced. Even though violence has decreased to a certain level, restoring total peace is still a complicated job for the security forces working on the field.
The extension of President’s rule in Manipur has got mixed response from the civil society bodies and political parties. The presence of arms with several militant groups and civilians still makes total peace a distance dream. Security forces are continuously conducting operations to seize illegal arms and arresting the trouble makers. But it still needs some time for the state to achieve a total and lasting peace.
