BJP’s Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra on Tuesday wrapped up his two-day stock-taking visit to strife-hit Manipur with a stop in Kangpokpi district, where he conveyed a message to stakeholders on both sides of the ethnic divide to work towards restoring peace in the state.

Sources said Patra met BJP MLA Nemcha Kipgen at her residence and held discussions with representatives of the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and other civil society organisations. During the interaction, he urged leaders to help restore peace and facilitate the free movement of people on national highways, which have remained volatile since the conflict erupted on May 3 last year.

Patra also called on the CSO leaders to participate in the Centre-led peace process. The first round of joint peace talks was held in April but failed to make headway.

On Monday, Patra had visited Kuki-Zo majority Churachandpur, where he met BJP MLAs and key CSO representatives. He returned to Imphal later that evening to meet several BJP legislators, including former chief minister N. Biren Singh and assembly Speaker T. Satyabrata Singh, before calling on governor Anusuiya Uikey.

Although Patra described the trip as a routine visit, BJP and NPF legislators confirmed discussions focused on peace-building and enabling safe travel between Meitei and Kuki-Zo areas—movements that have remained restricted since the violence began, leaving at least 260 dead and over 60,000 displaced.

Patra’s visit comes in the backdrop of a memorandum by 21 NDA MLAs seeking the installation of a “popular government” in the state. Central rule was imposed on February 13, with the assembly placed under suspended animation four days after Biren Singh resigned amid growing discontent over his handling of the crisis.

However, party sources said peace restoration emerged as the central concern during Patra’s visit. “No government can function effectively without peace,” said a senior BJP leader.

CoTU submitted a memorandum to Patra on Tuesday, highlighting persistent security concerns, including alleged targeted attacks on Kuki-Zo community members. It demanded disarming of valley-based armed groups, broader administrative representation, and called for the imposition of AFSPA across the state. It reiterated its demand for a Separate Administration under the Constitution to safeguard the rights and identity of the Kuki-Zo people.

The Zomi Council, which had met Patra in Churachandpur on Monday, said in a statement that chairman Vumsuan Naulak held a 30-minute meeting with him focused on the recovery of over 5,000 arms and lakhs of rounds of ammunition looted from security forces during the conflict. Although a recovery process is underway, a large cache remains with civilians.

The statement added that Patra expressed his intent to identify peace-loving communities across the state as part of a broader attempt to restore normalcy. Naulak also conveyed the suffering and displacement of the Zomi people and hoped the dialogue would “serve as a small but meaningful step towards peace through justice.”