GUWAHATI (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for peace on Saturday in Manipur state – the scene of two years of deadly ethnic violence – as he unveiled a package of development projects there worth nearly $1 billion.
Some 260 people have been killed and more than 60,000 displaced since clashes first broke out between Manipur’s dominant, mostly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki tribes in May 2023 over economic benefits and job quotas.
Modi, who met with displaced members of both communities during his first visit to the northeastern state since the violence erupted, has faced criticism for his government’s failure to ensure order and security in Manipur.
“The land of Manipur is a land of hope and aspiration. Unfortunately, violence has cast its shadow on this beautiful region,” he said addressing residents in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur hills.
“I appeal to all organisations to take the path of peace to fulfill their dreams and secure the future of their children,” he said.
Modi inaugurated women’s hostels, indoor stadiums, and road infrastructure – projects worth a total of $963 million – during his visit to the city of Imphal and town of Churachandpur.
He said the government was making every possible effort to restore peace.
Speaking in the Meitei-majority city of Imphal, Modi also announced that the government was supporting the construction of 7,000 new homes for families displaced by the conflict.
He urged both communities to engage in dialogue.
“We should strengthen the bridge of brotherhood between the hills and the valley,” he said.
Manipur is governed by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
The state’s leading official Biren Singh, however, resigned in February over mounting pressure from the Kuki community, which had accused him of bias in favour of the Hindu Meitei population, as well as dissent among his own BJP allies.
The state has since been governed directly by the federal government through a governor appointed by New Delhi.
(Reporting by Tora Agarwala; Editing by Dhwani Pandya and Joe Bavier)
