OPINION | Modi’s belated visit to Manipur gave hope. It now needs to be followed by action

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during laying of foundation stone and inauguration of development works, in Churachandpur, Manipur. (Source: PMO via PTI Photo)

More than two years and four months after the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo people broke out- claiming more than 250 lives and displacing over 60,000 people in the northeastern state of Manipur- Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state on September 13.

His first stop was the Kuki-Zo dominated Churachandpur district, regarded as the epicentre of the ethnic violence. There, he interacted with the internally displaced persons living at a relief camp and later inaugurated projects worth Rs 7,300 crore. Later, he went to the capital city of Imphal, situated in the plains, and inaugurated projects worth more than 12,000 crore.  In both the places, he addressed the crowd gathered to listen to him, amid the bad rainy weather.

A much needed visit that balanced ethnic sensitivities

The visit by Modi was a welcome step. It tried to balance the sensitivities of both the communities and give a message of peace to the divided society of the strife-hit state.

In both the addresses, Modi didn’t fail to highlight the significance of peace. He said how the Centre is building 7,000 new homes for displaced people. This indicated that the Centre is focussed on relocating the displaced from the relief camps to permanent areas — a crucial step required to restore normalcy in the state.

Importantly, Modi tried to address a significant concern of the Kuki-Zo community through his Churachandpur speech by saying that the Centre is working to strengthen local governance bodies with appropriate funding being arranged for their development

Manipur’s ADCs suffer a resource crunch

The state has six Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) with Kuki-Zo people forming a majority in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi ADCs, and having a significant presence in the Chandel and Tamenglong ADCs. The other two — Senapati and Ukhrul ADCs — are dominated by the Nagas.

Although drawing inspiration from the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, these ADCs have limited powers, restricted to marriage, divorce and social customs. The state ADCs — unlike the other ADCs of the northeast getting central funds through state governments — rely solely on state grants and often underperform due to inadequate funding

The demand of a separate administration by the Kuki-Zo people — strongly opposed by the Meiteis — stems from the lack of legislative powers of the ADCs, crippled by the state government’s poor budgetary allocations. While Modi didn’t exactly specify the details, he was hinting at Centre’s efforts to address the concerns of the Kuki-Zo community — as well as the Nagas.

Meitei angst and Modi’s message on the demand for a separate UT

The Meitei community isn't happy with the recent renewal of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) with the two Kuki-Zo militant groups — Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF). Over two dozen militant groups come under these two umbrella militant organisations. Since the outbreak of the violence, Meiteis have repeatedly demanded for the end of the SoO as they see it as a shield used by the Kuki-Zo community to target them

While Modi remained silent on this, one noticeable aspect was his use of the name Churachandpur. The Kuki-Zo community insists on calling it Lamka. This was an indirect but clear indication from Modi that the Centre isn't supporting the demand of a separate Union Territory comprising Kuki-Zo areas of the state, a demand vehemently opposed by the Meiteis. He also praised the Ima Keithel, which literally means the “Mothers’ Market” and is entirely run and managed by women, indicating that he is aware of the Meitei sentiments too.

Visit mustn’t be reduced to optics; efforts must continue

The Opposition and many intellectuals aren’t satisfied with Modi’s Manipur visit. True that Modi deserves criticism for avoiding the strife-torn state for more than two years. It is also a fact that although belated he did visit the state, where he emphasised the significance of peace and its role in ushering development. There’s a difference between speaking from Delhi and speaking from Churachandpur as well as from Imphal stressing the importance of peace. Let’s not forget that he still remains the most popular leader of the country and his voice really matters, even if his visit was belated.

The ethnic violence has deeply divided the two communities. It is naive to believe that the conflict would see an immediate solution after Modi’s visit. Rather, this visit must be seen as a beginning of efforts by the Centre to take the violence-hit state towards normalcy. The visit mustn’t be reduced to optics.

Centre must prioritise the building of new homes for the displaced as soon as possible and relocate them permanently along with working on other developmental projects. On the political front, it must continuously engage with the Meitei and Kuki-Zo community organisations — as well as other community organisations, including Nagas — in order to prevent further escalation of polarisation on ethnic lines. It would have been better if Modi had held meetings with all legislators and political parties. Nevertheless, the Centre must focus on filling the political vacuum in the state, which has been under President’s Rule since February.

Lastly, the visit of the PM did generate a glimmer of hope among many in the state. The Centre mustn’t lose this opportunity. It should focus on turning this hope into action.