Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with people who had been harmed in Manipur’s ethnic violence. Before this, he hadn’t been to the northeastern state in about two years. People thought that the visit, which included a speech at the Peace Ground in Churachandpur, was a big step toward peace and reconciliation.
The photographs showed the Prime Minister chatting to families who had to flee their houses due of the war. They are now living in relief camps with their young children. The fight between the Meitei and Kuki tribes did a lot of damage in Churachandpur.
It was clear that there was a lot of pressure to grow when the Prime Minister was there. He laid the starting stone for several projects in Churachandpur that are worth more than Rs. 7,300 crore. He also started projects in Imphal that are worth 1,200 crore rupees. The purpose of these projects, which include creating new roads in cities, national highways, and a huge Infotech development project, is to improve the economy and the lives of the people who reside there.
The visit happens during a moment of terrible violence that has killed more than 260 people and made about 50,000 others from their homes. The fight, which started in May 2023, is the product of long-standing debates about who owns what and who should advocate for them in politics. There has been a lot of talk about the Meitei community’s desire to be recognized as a Scheduled Tribe. The Kuki tribes have also been asking for their own government.
The central government signed a new Suspension of Operations (SoO) deal with the Kuki-Zo rebel groups before the visit. They made this so that people might talk about political issues more easily. A lot of people are happy with the visit, but some opposition leaders say it’s “too little, too late” and “symbolic” because the Prime Minister hasn’t come to the state since the unrest started.
Politicians and groups in civic society were still confident that having such a famous person around would “open a new chapter of hope” and enable the communities that were hurt get back on their feet soon.