Controversial Tweets From Manipur CM's Twitter Handle Taunt Kukis, Eliciting Myanmar References

Manipur's chief minister, N Biren Singh, became embroiled in yet another controversy on Saturday when a set of tweets from his official Twitter account criticized social media users who were calling for his resignation. The tweets, which were subsequently removed, angered the Opposition and tribal groups who accused the chief minister of aggravating the already tense ethnic divisions in the violence-affected state.

The contentious tweets were posted in the early hours of Saturday, following a previous indication by Singh that he was considering resigning as the chief minister of Manipur. The state has been grappling with ethnic conflicts for nearly two months. However, protesters who had gathered outside Singh's residence in Imphal, belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, prevented him from proceeding to the governor's residence just 200 meters away. In response to the situation, Singh "clarified" that he would not step down from his position.

On Friday, after a large gathering of Meitei women congregated outside his home, they tore a piece of paper that was believed to contain his resignation. Through his tweeter, he expressed "At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister,” Hindustan Times.

A Twitter account under the name "Thang Kuki" expressed the opinion that the chief minister should have resigned a long time ago. In response to this tweet, Singh's official Twitter account posted a reply with a laughing emoji, stating, "Are you from India or Myanmar?" This insinuated a connection between Kukis from Manipur and the members of the same ethnic group residing across the international border.

Since May 3, Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic clashes triggered by a recommendation by the Manipur High Court to include the Meiteis, the dominant community comprising 53% of the state's population, in the scheduled tribe list. This recommendation sparked protests among the tribal population, particularly the Kukis, leading to clashes throughout the state. Since then, sporadic violence has persisted, resulting in at least 117 fatalities, over 300 injuries, and nearly 50,000 people being displaced from their homes.

Meanwhile, Manipur's health minister, Sapam Ranjan Singh, who also serves as the government spokesperson, stated that he had no knowledge of the Twitter posts and would provide a response once he verifies the details with the relevant officials. His reply was anticipated. Tribal groups criticized the chief minister, accusing him of promoting a divisive narrative in the midst of extensive violence, pointing to the tweets as evidence of their claims.