New Delhi: A letter by eight senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Manipur to the party’s national president J.P. Nadda has pointed to the anger against the N. Biren Singh government amidst the violence in the state and also expressed confusion over whether Article 355 is imposed in the state, Indian Express has reported.Among the writers of the letter are state BJP president A. Sharda Devi, whose house, the report notes has been targeted “six times” in the violence which began on May 3.“Public anger and protest is now slowly turning the tide, putting the sole onus of prolonged disturbances [on] the failure of the government,” the leaders wrote, according to the paper.They then pushed for Article 355 to be revoked, but not before adding an important caveat: “Article 355 if there is anything as such imposed in the state.” The emphasis is The Wire‘s.The leaders pressed for “full command of the Unified Command” be restored to CM Biren so that it can win back the trust of the people.Article 355 of the Indian constitution, says that “it shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”Article 356 promises President’s Rule, which has been a demand of Manipur’s residents ever since the violence broke out. However, it is Article 355 that continues to be a mystery in the state.The Wire had reported in early August this year that in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), had for the first time, categorically stated that it had no information on any notification issued by the Centre under Article 355 of the Constitution between January 2023 and June 13, 2023.However, as early as May, in a press conference the then head of Manipur’s state police, DGP P Doungel, had said Article 355 had been imposed in the state, and as a result, the Union government had assigned a security advisor to the state government.Retired IPS officer and former CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh is still security advisor and heads the unified command.