Sambit Patra’s Visit Reinforces the Vacuum, Not a Vision

The arrival of BJP’s Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra in Manipur on Monday has once again triggered political speculations in a state where constitutional machinery has long ceased to function meaningfully. Amid a backdrop of unending violence, displacement, and a sense of betrayal among the public, his day of marathon meetings — from Churachandpur to the Speaker’s residence in Imphal — has done little to assure a desperate population that political will is finally catching up to ground realities.
The dramatic exit of former Chief Minister N Biren Singh — an episode shrouded in secrecy, factional pressure has been interpreted by many as Centre’s growing discomfort with its own representative. That resignation, followed by the imposition of President’s Rule, was supposed to be a moment of reckoning. Yet, it quickly degenerated into another bureaucratic limbo, with the Centre leaving the state adrift under the fig leaf of constitutional procedure. No party staked claim to form government then, we were told, and President’s Rule was imposed “as a matter of course.”
Now, over two months later, 21 NDA MLAs, none from Biren’s loyalist camp, have written to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister urging the restoration of a popular government. It is in this context that Patra’s visit gains significance. Yet, instead of clarity, it has further exposed the party’s internal disarray. Meetings with Kuki-Zo MLAs in Churachandpur and civil society representatives were followed by separate sit-downs with Biren Singh, Speaker Satyabrata, and other BJP leaders. While the BJP continues to maintain that there is no discussion on government formation, the sheer range and timing of these interactions say otherwise.
More importantly, what stands out is what remains unspoken — the absence of a moral or political roadmap to address the deep ethnic crisis that has cleaved Manipur since May 2023. While Speaker Satyabrata has emerged as a potential rallying point for non-Biren NDA MLAs, and civil society groups in the hills are being courted separately, the approach reeks of the same old factional arithmetic that has failed the people time and again. What the state needs is not power-sharing between groups or factions, but a comprehensive plan of healing, rehabilitation, justice, and genuine representative governance. Yet, these meetings have centered on tactical positions, not transformative solutions.
BJP MLA Y Sushindro’s statement that there was “no talk of government formation” but only discussions on highway blockades and disarmament sounds carefully crafted. That the BJP feels the need to downplay political intent only shows how acutely it recognizes the fragility of its position. Even those who surrendered arms in the valley feel betrayed as the Centre remains silent on disarmament in the hills. Restoring free movement along national highways — while important — cannot substitute for political legitimacy or social reconciliation.
The current state of President’s Rule has proven no better. In theory, it promised neutrality and administrative efficiency. In practice, it has failed to contain violence, rebuild institutions, or even maintain consistent relief efforts. Far from being a solution, it has become an extension of inertia. And Sambit Patra’s visit — secretive, fragmented, and politically ambiguous — appears less an effort to resolve the crisis than to gauge which faction the BJP can safely ride on for a return to power.
The people of Manipur deserve better. They deserve transparency, participation, and above all, a government that will represent their pain, not merely manage it. If Sambit Patra’s visit was supposed to mark a turning point, it has instead reminded us how far removed the political class remains from the lived reality of those they claim to represent.