PM to visit Manipur tomorrow

Nearly two years after ethnic violence broke out in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the state September 13 and unveil projects valued at Rs 8,500 crore, officials said Thursday.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Opposition parties have been criticising the Prime Minister for not visiting the northeastern state, where clashes between Kuki and Meitei communities have left over 260 people dead and thousands homeless since May 2023.

According to officials, Modi will lay foundation stones for various development projects valued at Rs 7,300 crore from Peace Ground in Churachandpur where Kukis are in the majority.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,200 crore from the state capital Imphal dominated by the Meiteis, they said.

It was being speculated for the past few days that Modi would club his official visit to neighbouring Mizoram with one in Manipur, but no confirmation was available from either the government or the BJP. However, Thursday evening, the government put up a large billboard announcing the PM's programmes at Churachandpur's Peace Ground and at Kangla Fort in the state capital September 13.