For the first time since the unrest in 2023, the PM meets victims of violence in Manipur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited with families who had been uprooted from their homes in Churachandpur, the epicenter of the violence that claimed 260 lives, more than two years after ethnic warfare tore through Manipur.

The prime minister praised Manipur as the “land of courage and determination” and declared that peace was essential to the advancement of the state while traveling 65 kilometers by road from Imphal airport owing to severe rain. At the Peace Ground in Churachandpur, he engaged with the children and elderly in the relief camps. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla was with him.

Violence originally broke out at a tribal group’s rally opposing the Meiteis’ petition for Scheduled Tribe status in Churachandpur, which is primarily home to Kuki-Zo people.

Since they make up the majority in the hill districts, the Kuki-Zo tribes have called for their creation as a distinct Union Territory. In the Imphal Valley, Meiteis make up the majority. The Prime Minister laid the cornerstones for 14 significant development projects in Churachandpur, totaling Rs 7,300 crore. These projects include super-speciality healthcare facilities, women’s dormitories, drainage systems, and schools.
Speaking to a crowd, the prime minister declared that the state plagued by violence could not advance without peace.

“It is good that my helicopter couldn’t land here, and I came by road. On the way, I saw the enthusiasm of people carrying the tricolour. I salute the spirit of the people of Manipur… Manipur is the land of the brave,” PM Modi said.

More than 60,000 people have been homeless and hundreds injured in the conflicts between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei that began on May 3, 2023. Violence has broken out in stages over the past two years, culminating in N Biren Singh’s resignation as chief minister and the implementation of President’s Rule on February 13.

PM Modi will meet with conflict-displaced people in Meitei-majority Imphal, his next destination. Throughout the city, thousands of Kukis are being held in relief camps.
In addition, the prime minister will speak at an event in Imphal’s ancient Kangla Fort and unveil infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,200 crore. The former Manipur kingdom’s capital was the Kangla Fort.

“Manipur is not just a border state but a central pillar of India’s act east policy, a gateway to south-east Asia and a proud guardian of India’s diversity,” Manipur chief secretary Puneet Goel said while speaking of the significance of PM Modi’s visit.

The opposition has harshly criticized PM Modi’s visit to the state, which has been riven by violence for two years, calling it a “farce”. Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP who led the charge, claimed that the Prime Minister’s visit was not a “big deal” because Manipur had been burning for a long time.

The prime minister’s three-hour visit, according to Congress national secretary Jairam Ramesh, was an insult to the state’s citizens, who have been waiting for him for almost 29 months. “The PM will spend less than 3 hours in Manipur. This visit, instead of providing a force for peace and harmony, is actually going to be a farce,” Ramesh said.