PM Modi Breaks Silence on Manipur, But His Remarks are Far From the Truth and Also Unnecessary

After his long, deafening silence on Manipur violence, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, finally uttered a few words on the issue stating that the government is continuously making efforts to normalise the situation in Manipur.

He reported that more than 11,000 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered, and over 500 individuals have been arrested in connection with the unrest in Manipur.

PM Modi claimed that incidents of violence in Manipur are reportedly on the decline. “The central and state governments are actively engaging with all stakeholders to restore peace. We can see a path towards peace very soon,” he said.

However, the Prime Minister’s assertion of returning normalcy and declining violent activities in the strife- torn state was astounding, far from truth on ground reality. Of course, schools have been opened since last year but tension still prevails between the warring communities. There have been sporadic violent incidents along the buffer zones wherein the Meiteis’ Arambai Tenggol and VBIGs continued their aggression towards the Kukis’ territory.

The state-sponsored ethnic cleansing against the Kukis has been completed from the Meiteis’ ancestral land, and the Kukis and Meiteis have now been totally separated physically, ethnically, geographically. With the deep divide and extreme animosity between the Meiteis and Kukis, there has not been any chance of integration between the two communities socially and emotionally.

The only way forward for returning peace and normalcy in the region is to formalise separate administrative units for the already separated communities respectively. The Prime Minister Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, should realise that sooner the political solution for the Kukis, the better for the region to live in peace as good neighbours.

In his reply to Motion of Thanks to President in Rajya Sabha today, the Prime Minister also recalled the 1993 ethnic violence in the State, which is unnecessary to be mentioned in this critical period. “A situation like this happened in Manipur in 1993, and the unrest lasted for five years. The state has witnessed the imposition of President’s Rule 10 times during the Congress era. We have not resorted to such a means,” he said. Here, choosing to politicize the issue by criticizing the opposition, particularly the Congress party, for their handling of similar crises in the past is unnecessary. Is the Prime Minister Modi instigating or inciting a repeat of ethnic violence which had occurred in the past? Or Is the Prime Minister hinting to prolong the ongoing violence as in the past?

It should be noted that a deflection to historical incidents does little to address the immediate needs and concerns of the people, particularly the Kuki people who are currently facing atrocities in the hands of the majoritarian regime. The strength and capability of the state should have evolved significantly since 1993. The expectation from the Kuki people now is that the Government of India should immediately address their legitimate historical political grievances for justice to prevail.

While PM Modi’s remarks were intended to assure the nation of the government’s efforts, his statement raised more questions than answers, leaving the victims of the state-engineered violence to wonder whether the Prime Minister was misinformed or was simply not in touch with the ground reality. His remarks are nothing but narratives often propagated by the incumbent and narcissistic Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

The Prime Minister’s highlighted number figures of FIRs also raised serious questions as there have been no mentioning of progressive investigations to the thousands of FIRs filed in various police stations. The Kukis have been waiting for justice for the deaths and destruction arising out of N. Biren Singh’s orchestrated ethnic cleansing pogrom.

While the Prime Minister spoke about the Government’s efforts to bring peace, his words lacked the urgency and comprehensive strategy in solving the Kukis’ political problems.