N Biren Singh is seen in action as soon as he takes over as the Chief Minister of Manipur. Recently he has indicated that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) may be withdrawn soon. In the 60-seat Manipur state, the Bharatiya Janata Party has won 32 seats and has won a majority in the state. Whereas, the BJP formed the previous government with the support of the Naga People’s Front and the National People’s Party Front.
In an interview to News18, CM Singh has expressed hope of withdrawing AFSPA from the state soon. “We have identified some areas of the state. We have already requested the central government and I think some positive things will emerge. As of now, it is under discussion and I think it will happen. The special thing is that in the northeastern states, AFSPA is a big election issue.
promised even before the election
Even before the results of the assembly elections were announced, Singh had talked about discussing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the removal of AFSPA. He had said, “Once the BJP government is formed here, we will ask Prime Minister Modi and the Home Minister to repeal AFSPA, except in some border districts of Manipur.”
Denial of tension for the post of CM!
There was a lot of speculation about the election of CM in Manipur. There were reports that Vishwajit Singh’s name was also in the race. However, Singh has rubbished rumors of a fight for the post. He said, ‘It is a rumour. Everyone’s dream can be to become CM. This is not a fight. Everyone can think, but decisions are taken by the central leaders, who are monitoring things from the beginning at the smallest level. It is as Krishna is asking Arjuna to fight. What happens after that is not your concern. I did the same thing.’