Manipur CM tweets taunting Kukis, invokes Myanmar

• Manipur CM N Biren Singh faces backlash for deleted tweets taunting social media users demanding his resignation, accused of worsening ethnic tensions

• The tweets questioned users' national identity, referencing Myanmar and India, Singh, from the Meitei community, responded to tweets exploiting ethnic fault lines

• Tribal groups criticized him for promoting a communal narrative amid ongoing violence

   

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh sparked another controversy when he posted and later deleted a series of tweets from his official Twitter handle targeted social media users demanding his resignation.

The opposition and tribal groups accused the CM of exacerbating existing ethnic tensions.

The contentious tweets were posted early on Saturday, after Singh "clarified" on Twitter that he would not step down from his position. One Twitter profile, under the name "Thang Kuki," suggested that the chief minister should have resigned long ago. Singh's official account responded with a tweet asking, "Are you from India or Myanmar?" along with a laughing emoji, implying a connection between Kukis from Manipur and the ethnic group residing across the international border.

Singh, belonging to the dominant Meitei community, also responded to another tweet that exploited ethnic fault lines. In the tweet, a user named "Anthony Lunkim" claimed to be a resident of Zalengam, a village in Manipur's Chandel district. Singh's account replied with, "Can be in Myanmar."

A third tweet targeted a user named "Lal Hkip," who mentioned that Myanmar also has a significant Meitei population, but not all are referred to as Burmese. The chief minister's account responded by stating, "Meitei in Myanmar never ask [for] their homeland in Myanmar."

A fourth tweet, in response to a user named "Saral Patel," suggested that the chief minister fax his resignation to the governor instead of physically handing it over. Singh's account replied, "Don't bark without knowing the ground realities. Mainland will not understand the complexity of Myanmar border Indian state."

While the tweets were eventually deleted, they were seen by several media outlets before being removed. An official from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), speaking anonymously, mentioned that the CM's account is managed by a handler, but it remains unclear whether the handler is affiliated with the CMO, a government department, or a third party.

Tribal groups condemned the tweets, accusing the chief minister of promoting a communal narrative during a period of widespread violence. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of Kuki groups in Churachanpur district, criticized Singh, alleging that he still considers the Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur as illegal immigrants and perpetuates the notion that they are from Myanmar.