Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and his warring deputies, Losii Dikho and Nemcha Kipgen, were expected to arrive in Delhi on Wednesday and meet in person for the first time in months at the instance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership.
People aware of the matter said the three were called to Delhi.
The lawmakers have threatened to withdraw support from Manipur’s BJP-led coalition government. The BJP ensured representation for all three major communities after the President’s Rule was lifted and a new government was formed this year. Meitei leader Singh was named the chief minister, with Kipgen and Dikho as his two deputies. “There are three main issues. First is the problem between the Naga and Kuki MLAs [members of the legislative assembly], including the two deputy chief ministers.
On September 1, Dikho and eight other Naga lawmakers wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking action against Kipgen and her husband, alleging that they were colluding with Kuki militants and hampering the peace process.
People aware of the matter, who asked not to be named, said the three could also meet Union home minister Amit Shah and other top BJP leaders. One of the persons cited above said Dikho and Kipgen are likely to talk after arriving in Delhi. The second the NRC [National Register of Citizens] and Census,” said the person.
There was growing opposition to Census-related activities in the state. The person cited noted that Census preparations have been put on hold due to the demand for an NRC exercise first. The first phase of Census 2027 (House listing) in Manipur was scheduled from September 1 to September 30, before the self-enumeration facility from August 17 to August 31. “There is also the renewal of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact, which ended on September 30, 2026. Over 45 people have died in the Naga-Kuki violence since March.
The Naga MLAs have alleged that the SoO groups under deputy Kipgen’s husband are behind the Kuki-Naga violence,” said the person. In an interview with HT last month, Kipgen denied the allegations against her and said she had been working to resolve the Naga-Kuki tension.
