PM seeks unity, but fault lines persist

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for unity in Manipur, deep divisions resurfaced as Kuki groups reiterated their demand fora separate administration and Meitei outfits said the visit did little to ensure peace.

- Utpal Parashar and Thomas Ngangom

During his visit, Modi attempted a balancing act between the warring Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities who have shut each other out from areas dominated by them since clashes began in May 2023, and appealed to them to shun violence and build bridges for peace, progress and prosperity.

The PM laid the foundation stones of 19 projects worth around ₹7,300 crore in Kukidominated Churachandpur and inaugurated 17 completed projects in Meitei-dominated Imphal worth ₹1,200 crore. He also addressed two public meetings in both districts, and assured the nearly 60,000 people displaced by the ethnic violence of all support in rebuilding their lives.

“Peace is an important requirement for prosperity in any region. In the past ll years, many ongoing conflicts in the Northeast have ended and people have chosen peace...,” he said.

Hailing the visit, the Kuki-Zo communities reiterated their demand for a “lasting political solution” in the form of a “separate administration”. “For years, we have consistently demanded complete separation from Manipur, seeking a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory with legislature under Article 239A of the Constitution of India,” the Kuki-Zo Council (KZO) said ina memorandum submitted to the PM in Churachandpur.

“This isa historic occasion, as it comes nearly four decades after an Indian Prime Minister last visited our region,” the apex body of Kuki-Zo tribes said.