Guwahati: Finally the wait is over.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his first visit to Manipur on Saturday, the state Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel confirmed on Friday.
This will be PM Modi’s maiden since the decimating ethnic violence that wreaked havoc in 2023.
And the Prime Minister during the course of his visit will address the concerns of both Kuki and Meitei communities who have been at loggerheads for the last two years.
Call it the balancing act, one acknowledges it is time to undo the damage PM Modi’s late arrival has had on the psyche of the ordinary Manipuri.
This visit comes 2 years, 4 months, and 10 days after the outbreak of the Manipur strife claiming over 260 lives and displaced over 60,000 people.
The trip will start in Churachandpur district, the trigger centre of the Meitei-Kuki conflict.
PM Modi will reach around 12.30 pm from Aizawl, Mizoram.
In Churachandpur, inhabited mostly by the Kuki community, PM Modi is slated to interact with internally displaced families, lay foundation stones for projects worth Rs 7,300 crore, and address the public at the Peace Ground.
Later in the afternoon, PM Modi will traverse to Imphal, the state capital.
Imphal on the other hand is a Meitei-majority area.
PM Modi will unveil projects valued at Rs 1,200 crore and address a public event.
Hence, the reticent (on Manipur) Prime Minister does the balancing act.
“This visit by the Honourable Prime Minister will help restore normalcy and fast-track growth in Manipur. We invite people across the state to welcome him and actively participate in the events,” the chief secretary urged.
The upcoming visit has garnered mixed response.
Whole the opposition has slammed the PM for taking so long, the BJP has waxed eloquent on the positive impact of the trip.
The Kuki-Zo Council too has welcomed the trip.
“The stark reality is that the Kuki-Zo people have been forcibly separated by the actions and aggression of the majority community in Manipur. Despite these grave circumstances, we continue to uphold our faith in the democratic spirit and leadership of India,” the Kuki body said.
However, the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) chief Nando Luwang is of the view that Modi’s visit is “not welcome.”
He argued that it is all about inaugurations and foundation-laying for projects to “gain credit ahead of local body elections rather than addressing the state’s two-year-old conflict.”
We don’t expect anything from him. For more than two years he has not taken any necessary action to solve the problem or bring a lasting solution,” Luwang said.
However, there is no denying that Modi’s Manipur visit will be globally watched.
Whether he can provide succor to the sufferers craving for stability…