PM Finally Visits Manipur, Appeals For Peace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his first and long overdue visit to Manipur after ethnic violence broke out there more than two years ago, killing over 250 people and displacing thousands from their homes, addressed two separate rallies in the hill district of Churachandpur and in Imphal, highlighting the deep divide between the Kuki-Zo community and the Meiteis. Travelling to Churachandpur by road, as inclement weather forced him to ditch his helicopter, the PM passed through a buffer zone that is patrolled by security personnel keeping the two communities apart. The ethnic tensions in the state have reached such a point that the Imphal valley, peopled by the largely Hindu Meiteis, and the hill region, dominated by the Christian Kukis, are no-go zones for each other. Modi’s visit was high on rhetoric, but whether Manipur will see lasting peace remains to be seen. Asserting that a new dawn of hope and trust is emerging, the Prime Minister appealed to the people of the state to choose harmony through dialogue between the two communities. He unveiled a slew of development projects worth Rs 7300 crore in Churachandpur and another set of projects worth Rs 1200 crore in Imphal. At a meeting with internally displaced people, who have been living in camps for over two years, the PM said the central government is making every effort to restore normalcy, including building 7000 new houses for those rendered homeless in the violence. Hundreds of children are unable to attend school, and the elderly are suffering in these makeshift camps.

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Peace overtures by the centre began some time ago. In an outreach to the tribal communities ahead of the PM’s visit, the Union Home Ministry and the Manipur government had signed a Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with the Kuki-Zo insurgent groups with renegotiated ground rules that reiterate the territorial integrity of Manipur and the relocation of camps run by the insurgent groups. However, the KZC has been demanding a separate administration on the lines of a union territory with a legislature. That all is not well in the BJP in the state was evident by the mass resignation of party members in the Phungyar constituency of the Ukhrul district, citing the lack of consultation and respect for grassroots leadership. Analysts see this as an attempt to highlight the discrepancy between development in the hills and plains. Traditionally, the Meiteis have dominated decision-making in the state, with the chief minister almost always representing the majority community. The state has been under the President’s rule since February, and there are no indications that elections will be held anytime soon. The Opposition expectedly described the PM’s visit as too little, too late. However, despite Modi’s inexplicable and inordinate delay in visiting Manipur, there is now a glimmer of hope.