PM Modi In First Manipur Visit Since 2023 Ethnic Clash: 'Adopt Path Of Peace, Progress'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a five-day tour of Northeastern Indian states and Bihar, said in Manipur's Churachandpur on Saturday that efforts are on to find a solution for the ethnic crisis in the state. This was said during his first visit to Manipur after the May 2023 ethnic violence in the state.

"We have recently started talks with [representatives of] all [ethnic] groups in the state to find a solution to your problems," the Prime Minister told a large gathering.

In a speech delivered in Hindi, he said that the investments inaugurated at the event set a trend for the future, and that Manipur's development would be a priority for the government.

"We are with you, the [central] government is with you," Modi told the crowd, generating applause.

The ethnic strife in Manipur in 2023 had divided the hill and valley residents along identitarian lines. While the Kukis and Nagas live mostly in the underdeveloped hill areas of Manipur, the Meities, who are relatively better off, live in the Valley areas. Since the clashes, it has become virtually impossible for the hill residents to travel to the valley and vice versa.

In this context, the Prime Minister said on Saturday that the people should take up the "path of peace" for the sake of the younger generation. He referred to the 'daughters of mothers' of Manipur being icons of woman power and assertion.

This was probably a tacit nod to the weaponisation of women during the conflict, in which there were multiple incidents of violence and rape against woomen, that created a furore nationally when the news leaked out in 2024.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the new Manipur Police headquarters at Mantripukhri in Imphal, built at a cost of ₹101 crore, along with a civil secretariat in the same area constructed for ₹538 crore. He laid foundation stones for several other projects, including the ₹3,647-crore drainage and asset management improvement scheme and the ₹550-crore Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) projects.

"These projects will improve people’s lives in terms of infrastructure and healthcare, especially for tribal communities in the Hills,” Modi said.

He also mentioned that one lakh Manipur residents had taken advantage of the government's health schemes. "If not for that, it would have cost Manipuris Rs 350 crore to pay for those services," Modi said.

The Prime Minister did not directly touch upon the severe violence that engulfed the state two years ago, but he did hint at development projects, better educational facilities and improved healthcare as being the way forward. One of the primary reasons for the strife in Manipur was the entrenched perception that the hill areas had been left behind, whereas the Valley had far outpaced the rest of the state in terms of employment and infrastructure.

It later took on more rigid ethno-religious shape, and ended up dividing the state and its people. More than 58,000 refugees were created during the violence, and more than 280 relief camps set up.

The Prime Minister in his Saturday address promised proper housing facilities for the internally displaced persons, though without specifying the location of their settlement. This is because the return of Kuki tribals to Imphal valley depends on successful conclusion of talks with the ethnic groups and outfits, and acceptance of the terms by Manipur's diverse communities. The same holds true for Meitei community members seeking to live and work in the hill areas.

Earlier, a deadline of December 2025 was set for closing the relief camps.

This is what the PM's speech in Churachandpur, incidentally the town where the violence began in 2023—over the Kuki-Zo opposition to the Meitei demand for tribal status—has apparently sought to address.

In this context, Modi reminded people of the special efforts made to improve basic services by the Centre since 2014, hinting at but not directly referring to the 'Look-East Policy' of the National Democratic Alliance government.

Although officially announced only a day earlier, preparations had been under way for nearly two weeks, with the state government putting up large billboards in Churachandpur and Imphal announcing the prime minister’s programmes.

He will also address a gathering at Kangla, a prominent location of historic significance in Manipur, especially for the Meitei community. It is a fortified complex in the heart of Imphal, the capital, located in the Valley.'

In the absence of an elected government, the Governor of Manipur, Ajay Bhalla, is currently in charge of most government affairs. Illegal weapons are still being gathered from the rival groups, even as talks are on.