The RSS on Monday demanded “an urgent, sincere resolution of the conflict” in Manipur, the ideological parent mounting pressure on the BJP-led central and state governments a day after ally National People’s Party dumped the Biren Singh dispensation citing the worsening unrest.

The comments, carried in the RSS mouthpiece, the Organiser, spoke of the "central and state governments’ responsibility to address the situation promptly".

The nudge comes at a time Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remained steadfast in his decision not to visit Manipur or speak publicly on the crisis.

Pressure on the BJP also came from inside, with eight office-bearers of its mandal unit in Jiribam — the latest nucleus of violence — submitting a joint resignation letter from the party over the “unwelcome/ helpless” situation in Jiribam and in Manipur “as a whole”.

“According to the RSS, the suffering of innocent people continues unabated, and the unresolved conflict remains a severe humanitarian crisis. In its statement, the RSS condemned the recent atrocities, specifically the abduction, captivity, and subsequent killing of women and children, labelling the actions as ‘cowardly’ and contrary to the very essence of humanity and peaceful co-existence,” the Organiser said, echoing a statement issued on Sunday by the Manipur unit of the RSS.

“The RSS called for an urgent, sincere resolution of the conflict, emphasising the central and state governments’ responsibility to address the situation promptly. The organisation expressed deep concern over the extent of the violence, which has disrupted the lives of countless civilians, leading to significant loss of life, property, and a breakdown of social order.”

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had in June expressed concern at the Manipur situation and said that stopping the violence should be the priority.

The condemnation of the “abduction, captivity, and subsequent killing of women and children” in the Organiser comes amid allegations that Kuki-Zo militants kidnapped six women and children from a relief camp in Jiribam and killed them.

The six were abducted on November 11, when a group of suspected Kuki-Zo militants attacked a police station that housed the relief camp and a nearby CRPF post in Borobekra, Jiribam. Ten of the attackers were killed. Kuki-Zo organisations claim the alleged militants were actually village volunteers.

The bodies of all the six missing camp inmates have been recovered, the last of them on Monday from the River Barak in Assam’s Cachar district, which borders Jiribam.

The “abductions” and “killings” triggered a mob rampage by protesters in the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley on Saturday.

The mobs attacked the homes of 13 MLAs — of them, 9 from the BJP — making plain their unhappiness at the government’s handling of the 18-month-old conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos that has killed at least 256 people and displaced 60,000.

“The violence, which has escalated sporadically since May 2023, has ravaged several districts, especially affecting the Imphal East and West areas,” the Organiser said.

The Opposition Congress took the battle to Delhi, where its state unit chief K. Meghachandra addressed a news conference and targeted Prime Minister Modi, saying he should immediately visit Manipur.

“And if he has no time to visit Manipur, please give me an appointment so that the leaders of Manipur, including MLAs and ministers from the BJP, the Congress and (other) political leaders can come to Delhi and meet the hon’ble Prime Minister,” he said.

Meghachandra held the “double-engine government” responsible for the conflict. He urged Modi to sack Biren saying he had no right to continue going by what the Prime Minister had himself said in a 2017 election speech.

“Those who cannot ensure peace in the state of Manipur have no right to govern, Modiji had said,” he reminded the Prime Minister.

Modi had at the time been referring to an economic blockade in Manipur, imposed by the United Naga Council in protest against the creation of seven new districts by the then Congress-led state government.

The 139-day blockade, which caused immense hardship to the people, was lifted after the BJP won the 2017 state elections.

NPP stand

In Shillong, Meghalaya chief minister and NPP president Conrad Sangma said his party might reconsider the withdrawal of support if there was a change of guard in Manipur, implying Biren should go.

Sangma clarified that the withdrawal of support was Manipur-specific. The BJP is part of Sangma’s government in Meghalaya.