Imphal, June 11 (IANS) Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Wednesday said that he and BJP’s Rajya Sabha Member from the state, Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and urged his intervention to restore normalcy in the state.

“We apprised him (HM Shah) about the prevailing situation in Manipur and urged the Home Minister to take steps to restore normalcy in Manipur,” Biren Singh told the media immediately after returning to Imphal from New Delhi on Wednesday.

The former Chief Minister said that the people of the state wanted a popular government in Manipur.

He said that illegal immigrants from across the border who are unlawfully staying in Manipur are a vital issue in dealing with the ethnic problems in Manipur.

Biren Singh, with the Rajya Sabha member, went to New Delhi on June 9 to apprise the central leaders about the state’s prevailing situation.

“I want to appeal to all concerned that a crucial period has been going on in Manipur, and everyone should be very careful and responsible while doing anything and speaking about the state affairs,” he told the media at the Imphal airport.

Urging calm, Biren Singh said that people should work together and shun all violence and harmful activities.

Biren Singh also met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on May 27 and discussed the restoration of peace and normalcy and other vital issues of the state.

A senior official had said that Biren Singh, who resigned as Chief Minister on February 9, four days before the promulgation of the President’s Rule in the trouble-torn state, requested Bhalla to take immediate steps to resolve the vital issues, including that of illegal immigrants.

Leishemba had earlier expressed hope that a popular government would be formed in the state within the next two months. He urged all political leaders to unite in dealing with the challenges the state has been facing.

“The President’s rule alone cannot resolve the prevailing issues. A popular government can function closely in tandem with the people and find a solution to the present ethnic crisis,” he had told the media.

BJP’s North East In-charge Sambit Patra also last month visited the state’s Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts and met Kuki BJP MLAs Vungzagin Valte and Nemcha Kipgen and several Kuki-Zo and civil society organisations, including the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU). Kipgen was the lone woman Minister in the Biren Singh-led government in Manipur. Patra also met Biren Singh and other leaders in Imphal.

The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which, after the promulgation of President’s Rule on February 13, has been put under suspended animation, has a tenure till 2027.

–IANS

sc/vd