On a winter morning in Imphal, with mist still hanging over the Kangla Fort, Yumnam Khemchand Singh placed his hand on the Constitution and took the oath that many in Manipur had thought impossible just months ago: Chief Minister of a state fractured by ethnic violence, leading a cabinet designed not for politics, but for peace.
The Architect of Consensus
Singh, 62, is nobody's idea of a firebrand. A soft-spoken five-term MLA from Singjamei, he built his career on quiet backroom diplomacy — exactly the skill set the BJP high command decided Manipur needed. His appointment came after weeks of intense negotiations between Delhi and local leaders from all three major communities.
The result is a cabinet unlike any Manipur has seen: two deputy chief ministers, one representing the Kuki-Zo community and another from the Naga tribes, sit alongside Meitei ministers in what Singh calls "a government of all Manipuris."
"Manipur Has Suffered Enough"
In his first address, Singh kept it simple. "There will be no 'us' and 'them' in this government," he said. "Manipur has suffered enough. Every citizen, every community, every hill and every valley — they all belong to all of us equally."
Relief camps still house thousands displaced by the violence. Roads between Meitei and Kuki areas remain closed. The challenges ahead are enormous. But for the first time in months, there is something rare in Manipur: cautious hope.