IMPHAL – Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to Manipur on Saturday, September 13. This was his first visit to the northeastern state since ethnic violence broke out in 2023. His visit comes after months of criticism from opposition parties for not being in the state, where there have been violent fights between the Kuki and Meitei groups.
Since May 2023, when the ethnic conflict started, more than 260 people have died and many more have been forced to leave their homes. PM Modi is set to meet with these displaced people in Churachandpur and Imphal, which are the two areas at the center of the conflict. This is a very important portion of his trip.
The visit, which comes after a stay in Mizoram, is mostly about development. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for several development projects worth more than ₹7,300 crore in Churachandpur, which was one of the worst-hit places by the unrest. The Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) project, worth ₹550 crore, and the drainage and asset management improvement project, worth ₹3,647 crore, are two of these projects.
After his time in Churachandpur, Modi will go to Imphal, the capital of the state, to open further development projects costing more than ₹1,200 crore. These include the new Manipur Police headquarters, which cost ₹101 crore to build, and a new civil secretariat, which cost ₹538 crore.
Political leaders and community groups have had diverse reactions to the trip. The Congress party, through its general secretary Jairam Ramesh, labeled the visit a “farce,” saying that the Prime Minister will only be in the state for less than three hours and that the trip was “not aimed at bringing peace and ensuring justice.” Keisham Meghachandra, the president of the Manipur Congress, agreed with this and called the visit “merely symbolic.”
On the other hand, Leishemba Sanajaoba, Manipur’s only Rajya Sabha MP, said the visit was “very fortunate.” The Prime Minister’s arrival was also hailed by major Kuki-Zo groups, who called it a “historic and rare occasion” and hoped it would lead to a sustainable solution.
President’s Rule has been in place in Manipur since February, when Chief Minister N. Biren Singh stepped down. To get ready for the Prime Minister’s arrival, the state government has put out a security warning that says people can’t bring things like keys, pens, and bags into the public space. As a precautionary step, the Manipur government recently outlawed the usage of air guns in the Churachandpur area.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi was in Mizoram, where he lay the foundation stone and opened many development projects in Aizawl that cost more than ₹9,000 crore. He also opened the Bairabi-Sairang New Rail line, which connects Mizoram to the Indian rail network for the first time.