He came (28 months too late), he saw (a few relief camp inmates among nearly 400 such camps with meagre facilities for 60,000 people) but failed to conquer hearts or assuage the anguish of Manipur’s beleaguered residents.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Mizoram on Saturday and inaugurated the Bairabi-Sairang railway line that will, for the first time, connect Aizawl to the rest of India by rail. He said this would “revolutionise people’s lives” and unveiled other projects in multiple sectors worth thousands of crores of rupees. Yet these immensely significant measures barely found passing mention in the media.
The reason for the subdued buzz in Mizoram was the suspense and resultant hype over Modi’s next destination, Manipur, which has been in the grip of an ethnic conflagration since May 2023. Hordes of mediapersons descended on Imphal to witness the ‘healing touch’ Modi was expected to provide to the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities. All they received were platitudes and immense funding that the powers that be always deem to be the solution to conflicts.
At Churachandpur, the hill district inhabited by the Kuki-Zo community, the prime minister addressed a rally, where he digressed to hold forth on the situation in Nepal. But he did think of the state’s welfare. “Manipur is a land of hope and promise. Unfortunately, violence had gripped this magnificent area. A little while ago, I met the affected people who are living in camps. After speaking with them, I can say that a new dawn of hope and confidence is awaiting Manipur,” he said. Is that why the Kuki-Zo Council announced barely hours after his departure that National Highway 2, connecting Manipur’s capital Imphal with Kohima (Nagaland), had not been reopened for free movement as no settlement has been reached between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities?
Manipur has been under president’s rule since February and over 260 people have been killed. With the prevailing conflict between the two communities, the fact that Manipur is home to 33 recognised tribes, including several Naga ones, is often overlooked. The inter-community equations and the sensitive nature of conflicting interests need to be addressed holistically for any lasting solution.
R.K. Paul Chawang, a Naga resident in Manipur’s Senapati district, saw in the prime minister’s visit “a missed opportunity to truly engage with the state’s complex issues. The brevity of his trip and limited interactions with stakeholders left much to be desired. An extended stay would have allowed him to grasp the nuances of the situation and demonstrate a genuine commitment to healing and rebuilding. His engagement was limited to Meitei and Kuki-dominated areas. The absence of meaningful interactions with all political leaders, civil society and community representatives was conspicuous. Visits to relief camps where internally displaced persons are struggling to cope with the aftermath of the conflict would have provided emotional support and assurance of restoring peace. As a Naga, I am particularly disappointed that our community’s neutrality and contributions to peace were overlooked. The Prime Minister’s actions seemed more focused on electoral gains than on fostering unity and peace among all communities. A more inclusive approach would have helped build trust and demonstrated a genuine commitment to rebuilding Manipur, marking a significant step towards healing the state’s wounds and restoring peace.”
This is what every Manipur resident is praying for. No one expected Modi’s long-overdue visit to resolve deeply-rooted structural, political, psychological and social issues. Is a genuine orchestration of goodwill too much to expect, Mr Prime Minister? Or will your prescient pledge of “a new dawn of hope and confidence” magically usher in succour?
