For 18 months, Nongthombam Biren Singh, 63, has survived despite demands from the chief minister’s office, the Opposition and also members of his own party, continuing to govern a state gripped by ethnic conflict. In an interview in Imphal, just days after the latest surge in violence in the state in which militants killed six women and children, he struck a defiant note and said he was targeted for stopping the drug trade. Edited excerpts

Have your critics called for the President’s rule as the first step in restoring normalcy in the state?

The current government in Manipur has people’s mandate. The government is working to restore peace, but vested interests, including the opposition, drug mafia and illegal immigrants, do not want us here. The opposition thinks that it has a chance to come to power again and therefore demands that the President come to power. There are illegal refugees and drug mafia who are affected by the work of the BJP government to protect the interests of our nation. They don’t want normality here. The state government, along with the Centre, will find these miscreants, terrorists… and bring normalcy.

But the people of Manipur’s Kuki-Zo tribe say you are not their CM? You don’t represent them

I am the elected chief minister of Manipur and represent all the indigenous people of the state. Their local legislators are also members of the parliament of which I am the leader. I’m here to protect them, but I’ll be tough on illegal immigrants from outside who incite violence. I am not the CM of illegal immigrants. I am not the CM of those who bring drugs into India and then go to the interior parts of the country. The real reason why I was targeted by some people is because I stopped the flow of drugs and enabled central agencies to burn down the areas that led to drug money.

Many believe your government is unstable. NPP is no longer your ally. Some of your party’s MPs did not attend the meeting you called earlier this week

Our government is stable and we have the necessary numbers. More than half of the MLAs attended the meeting. We have the necessary numbers. But this is not the time to talk about numbers. While we are going through this process, some may be gone, but we will come out of this process stronger. Now is not the time for politics. I held that meeting to find measures to save our people and to get feedback from elected representatives.

What is the Center doing about the Manipur situation?

I can assure you that the Center is monitoring the situation in Manipur 24 hours a day. People in New Delhi updated 24×7. There is only one purpose; To restore normalcy and peace in Manipur. I can’t say much about the operations here. Look at how quickly the government sent over 70 paramilitary forces to Manipur to prevent the taking of innocent lives. This is just an example. The Center has also initiated dialogue with all legislators to ensure peace. It is everyone’s duty to attend meetings and work to restore normalcy.

Is the opposition saying you should take responsibility for the killing of women and children in the state?

As a CM, I bear the responsibility of everything in Manipur, the good, the bad and the ugly. Manipur was relatively peaceful but the sudden gruesome murders of innocent women and children shocked people and increased tension. But I assure you that the guilty will be punished. The Center handed over the cases to NIA. Sooner or later everyone will be taken out and dealt with according to the law. As a football player in BSF, I was a defender. I will continue to defend everything my critics throw at me.

But Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal groups claim that Arambai Tenggol gunmen first killed a Hmar woman in Jiribam?

I condemn the killing of every woman and child, regardless of ethnic origin. Central institutions are investigating the issue. Whoever is behind this will be held accountable before the law.

What do you say to the Meitei people protesting the killings and attacking the houses of MLAs? How will you deal with this?

There are two things here. People were shocked to see the gruesome photos of women and children killed by Kuki militants. There was a real explosion of grief. People were touched and outraged by the killing of children who were only eight months old. So they took to the streets. In many places where local people gathered, my MPs told them about the government’s harsh stance on this issue. The protesters were reassured and left. There is also the second group of traitors who hijacked the protest. In many places, there were malicious and politically motivated people who stole bags of rice and money from our MLAs’ house. We identified these. Action will be taken.

Why has violence continued in the state for so long and what is the solution?

There is violence because there are many interest groups that have been hit hard by the work of our government. The drug mafia and illegal immigrants want this to continue because they know Biren Singh hit their illegal operations before the violence. We were the first to take people’s biometric details. When people in other states like Jharkhand talk about illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, the national media takes note of it but it is not highlighted when I talk about it. I am being targeted because our government has cut off one of the Golden Triangle’s main drug routes and stopped illegal entry into Manipur.

Did the Kuki-Hmar tribal groups say that the 10 people killed in the clash with the CRPF were village defense volunteers and not militants?

They are lying. Don’t they fear God? I won’t comment on the ongoing investigation, but do village volunteers have access to AK series rifles and RPG launchers? Who is behind the attack? Who supplies them with RPG launchers? Are volunteers attacking security forces? If CRPF had not been in Jiribam that day, countless lives would have been lost. These militants traveled from Churachandpur to Jiribam simply because they knew that there were 115 Meitei IDPs (internally displaced persons; refugees) there.

What about the fact that Kuki-Zo MLAs refuse to participate in peace talks?

Dialogue is the only way forward. Everyone should come together for Manipur. Yesterday, these MLAs issued a statement on the need for political dialogue. The center is currently conducting peace talks. They should participate in this for the sake of Manipur.