IMPHAL, 22 Jan: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said that talks of his, his cabinet colleagues and MLAs resigning are “just speculations and we are not taking any decision now.”
Singh’s remark comes in the wake of a report that went viral on social media on Saturday, which said, “Singh along with his cabinet colleagues of both the hills and valley and the MLAs have taken a resolution to raise demands with the central government concerning the state, while cautioning that all of them will resign unless the pressing issues are addressed.”
“No concrete decision has been taken concerning the resignation and the matter is being deliberated upon,” he told reporters here.
Replying to media queries on the sidelines of a programme, Singh said, “We have to take a concrete decision to protect our people and the state. To whom will we hand over the administration? We have to think about that too.”
“In this particular matter, we should not play politics. We should not listen to voices of vested interests. We are thinking about what the situation will be. We are mainly concerned about the lives of the people. Who will we hand over the responsibility to? We are discussing it minutely. We may or may not resign, but we are serious,” Singh said.
To a query on the recent violence in the state, Singh said, “The killing of four civilians each at Haotak and Ningthoukhong is highly condemnable. It’s a cowardly act. We have arrested those who killed Moreh SDPO Anand. Similarly, those involved in the killing of the civilians will be booked too.”
Earlier, addressing the public on the occasion of Manipur’s 52nd Statehood Day, Singh said, “Central forces were not being invited to observe and see what is going on. We invited them to protect the state, the lives and properties of people. They are not being invited to watch.”
The CM also asked the state commandos, and IRBn and Manipur Rifles personnel to “remain prepared at all times.” (PTI)