PM in Manipur: Politics or peace?

The much-anticipated visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the troubled state of Manipur has evoked mixed reactions among the political as well as social class there.

While the Opposition led by the Congress has slammed it as an exercise in tokenism, the government is seeing it as a move aimed at soothing wounds of the people through development.

During his speech in the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district of the state, Modi emphasised that the Centre was working to strengthen local governance bodies, with appropriate funding being arranged for their development.

He promised to transform the state into a “symbol of peace and prosperity” and urged all groups to shun violence and assured the people that the Centre stood firmly with them in rebuilding lives torn apart by the conflict.

“Today, I want to promise you that the Centre is with you. I urge all groups and organisations to adopt the path of peace,” he said in his speech, expressing satisfaction that various groups had come forward for dialogue, and that the Centre’s emphasis was always on “dialogue, respect and mutual understanding”.

Within 24 hours of his departure, however, violent clashes broke out in the state and houses of Kuki leaders were vandalised in Churachandpur.

Prior to Modi’s visit, the talks between the Centre, the Manipur Government and Kuki groups on September 4 had taken place, where it was decided to further extend the peace pact for a year and an official statement released after the negotiations stated that the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has decided to reopen the crucial NH-2 for free movement of commuters and essential goods.

The Kuki groups, which had signed the peace pact extension, however, stated that the official statement was wrongly drafted and that they had only sought cooperation from security forces to maintain peace along the crucial highway which is a lifeline for both Manipur and neighbouring Nagaland.

The Kuki groups further stated that opening of highways is the prerogative of the Centre and that in the first place it was never closed for traffic and commuters have been using it on a daily basis.

The Meiteis on their part contested the Kukis’ claim, alleging that their community is not being allowed to use the NH in question by Kuki groups ever since ethnic violence had broken out in Manipur in May 2023.

They key question, however, remains that the deep wedge of distrust between both the warring communities remains and Modi’s visit to the state has not exactly led to any baby steps towards mutual conciliation among the people.

The societal division is so deep that several BJP MLAs, mainly Kukis, later gave a memorandum to Modi, urging him to expedite the peace process, demanding in fact a separate union territory for Kuki-dominated areas in the state.

The memorandum, signed by MLAs cutting across the BJP and other political entities, could not have been more telling in its intent, as it stated that “We can now live in peace only as good neighbours, never under the same roof again”.

The Meiteis on their part are unhappy with the Centre deciding to extend by a year the peace pact with Kuki militant groups, which means that they will be retreating to their designated camps, and these will be shifted away from Meitei-dominated regions.

The majority Meiteis claim that this will mean greater freedom to Kuki militant groups to indulge in illegal poppy plantations and also in violence even by “staying within their camps”.

With distrust and lack of faith still existing among the people inhabiting a common state, the Prime Minister will have to adopt a more hands-on approach to instill confidence among the people, who are still nursing their wounds inflicted on them by the two year-long ethnic conflict.