Quest for peace, progress in sight

The Prime Minister's visit opens up the space for reconciliation in Manipur

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s first trip to Manipur since ethnic violence engulfed the state 28 months ago offers a chance for the region to move forward from over two years of discord and establish a new paradigm of peace. The seeds of the violence were first led by the unilateral actions of the then state government to withdraw from a tripartite accord and further actions by former chief minister N Biren Singh that were seen by the Kuki-Zo communities as partisan. The high court’s decision on Scheduled Tribe reservation lit this powder keg, widening chasms between communities and demolishing law and order. Key to this strife was the loss of faith of the common citizen in the impartiality of the state and its ability to act as a neutral arbiter between the Kukis and Meiteis — something that former CM Singh, a Meitei was unable, or unwilling, to restore. As a result, 260 people died, 60,000 were displaced and thousands of arms were looted from armories, resulting in a situation where community vigilantes took the place of the security establishment.

The PM’s comments in Manipur linking development to peace, his promises to help the internally displaced people, and his assurance that the government will back any attempt at restoring normalcy, hold out hope. (PMO)

Against this backdrop, the PM’s comments linking development to peace, his promises to help the internally displaced people, and his assurance that the government will back any attempt at restoring normalcy, hold out hope. It can mark a beginning in addressing the root political causes that animated this conflict, and a restoration of popular franchise and democracy in the state. Of course, progress will be painstaking. The Kuki-Zo communities are still demanding a separate state, something that the Meiteis are staunchly opposed to. The Opposition is alleging that the PM’s intervention should have come far earlier. And the ground situation — the stage is now under President’s rule — remains delicate and volatile, with no room for complacency from either the security forces or the political establishment.

But if the state, and national, governments commit themselves to building bridges, if the local authorities become impartial regulators following the laws (and not let their kin or community allegiance take precedence), if a new government can visualise Manipur as a federal polity that holds space for diverse communities to affirm their economic and political rights, if militant groups from either side are not given any more political or social space, and if security forces start acting in unison against elements that continue to disturb the peace, Manipur can be put back on the road to progress. The groundwork must begin now.