In a significant move pointing at a tussle between the Centre and the BJP dispensation in Manipur, the N Biren Singh government has demanded control of the Unified Command that oversees security operations in the Northeastern state, sources have said. The Command is currently handled by a team of Union Home Ministry officials, the state security adviser and the Army.
Sources have said that Chief Minister Singh and all MLAs of the state have submitted a list of demands to Governor Lakshman Acharya. On this list is a demand for “adequate powers and responsibilities to the elected State government as per the Constitution by handing over Unified Command”, a source told NDTV.
The list also calls upon the Centre to ensure peace in the state that is suffering due to a cycle of violence following ethnic classes in May last year. The Chief Minister and BJP MLAs have also demanded protection of the state’s territorial integrity, completion of border fencing, a National Register of Citizens exercise and the deportation of all illegal migrants, the sources said.
