Imphal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Manipur before the Lok Sabha elections, ThePrint has learnt. This would mark his second visit to the state amid the ongoing strife over the last 11 months between the Meitei and Kuki communities that has claimed over 200 lives and rendered thousands homeless.
Shah’s likely trip is significant as the only time he has been to Manipur since the beginning of the clashes on 3 May 2023 was when he undertook a four-day visit to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-governed state from 29 May to 2 June last year.
While the proposed visit has been kept under wraps, top sources in the Manipur administration said that the Union minister is likely to be in Imphal “very soon and preparations are already underway”.
Moreover, addressing a closed-door “interactive session” at his official residence with a large number of people from Kakching district Friday, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said that Shah “might visit Manipur”.
Singh, however, did not share the specifics of the proposed visit in his address.
Polling in Manipur will be held in two phases, while the Inner Manipur seat will vote on 19 April, the Schedule Tribe–reserved Outer Manipur constituency will vote in two phases — 19 April and 26 April.
The BJP has fielded a candidate in the Inner Manipur seat and is backing the Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate in the Outer seat, which covers primarily Kuki and Naga-dominated districts.
The CM met Shah in Delhi on 3 February. Following the meeting, Singh posted on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), “Today, I had the esteemed privilege of meeting with the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah Ji in New Delhi. Engaging in a profound exchange, we discussed matters of paramount importance concerning our state. Rest assured, the Government of India is set to take some important decisions in the interests of the people of Manipur.”
Today, I had the esteemed privilege of meeting with the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah Ji in New Delhi. Engaging in a profound exchange, we discussed matters of paramount importance concerning our state.
Rest assured, the Government of India is set to take some… pic.twitter.com/3nR7S4piJ9
— N.Biren Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@NBirenSingh) February 3, 2024
Shah’s proposed Manipur trip also comes at a time when suspense remains over the fate of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki militant groups. While the Manipur government unilaterally withdrew from the pact in March 2023, the central government’s position remains unclear.
It was not immediately clear if Shah would clarify the Centre’s stand on this issue as the Model of Conduct was in effect, said a Manipur government official.
“The guns have fallen silent from both sides since the elections were announced. There is a lull in hostilities. Shah’s trip will also act as a confidence-building measure,” the official told ThePrint.
Unlike Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not been to Manipur during this period even once. This has repeatedly come under criticism from the Opposition parties that have attributed the PM’s absence from the scene to the Centre’s “indifference” to the Manipur conflict.
However, Manipur did find a brief mention in the PM’s speech during the debate on the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition in the Parliament in August 2023. In his speech, Modi said that the people of India stand with the people of the state, something he reiterated in his Independence Day address.
During the debate on the no-confidence motion, Shah spoke in greater detail — calling for a peace dialogue between the Meiteis and Kukis.
During his last visit less than a month after the conflict broke out, Shah had held a series of meetings with top officials, politicians, civil society organisations and Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey.
The Union minister also visited the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district and Moreh town, which borders Myanmar during his visit.
In Manipur, Meiteis are a majority in Imphal and adjoining valley districts, while the Kuki community inhabit the hill districts.
Before the crisis began, a large number of Kukis lived in Imphal, while Meiteis were also present in the hill districts, including Churachandpur, which is the second largest town in the state after Imphal. But the conflict saw Kukis fleeing the valley, while the Meiteis from the hills took shelter in relief camps in Imphal.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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