While unveiling a nearly $1 billion package of economic projects in Manipur state, the site of two years of deadly ethnic strife, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a plea for peace on Saturday.
Since hostilities between Kuki tribes and Manipur’s Meitei population began in May 2023 over job quotas and economic benefits, approximately 60,000 people have been displaced, and almost 260 people have been killed.
Modi has come under fire for his government’s inability to maintain security and order in Manipur. At his first visit to the northeastern state since the unrest started, he met with displaced members of both communities.
Manipur is an optimistic and aspirational place. “Unfortunately, violence has cast its shadow on this beautiful region,” he remarked, speaking to those living in the Churachandpur hills, which the Kuki controls. He urged all organizations to follow the path of peace to achieve their goals and ensure their children’s future.
While visiting the towns of Churachandpur and Imphal, Modi unveiled road infrastructure, indoor stadiums, and women’s hostels projects totalling $963 million. “The government is doing everything it can to bring peace back,” he said.
Modi also declared that the government was funding the building of 7,000 new homes for people who the fighting had displaced while he was speaking in Imphal, a city with a Meitei majority.
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