New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his whirlwind three-day tour of five states on Saturday, igniting hopes of better connectivity, sufficiency, and peace for the Northeastern states of India.
The Prime Minister’s schedule included Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar, in that order.
In Manipur, where violent clashes led to the imposition of President’s Rule in February 2025, he met affected people forced to stay in temporary camps.
He also inaugurated multiple development projects at Churachandpur and the capital at Imphal.
Expressing confidence that a new dawn of hope and trust will soon arrive in the state, he stated, “The land and region of Manipur is a soil of hope and aspiration.”
Since May 2023, Manipur has witnessed one of its bloodiest internal clashes in decades, pitting the dominant Meitei population of the valley against the hill-based Kuki-Zo tribes.
The Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status, seeking quotas in jobs and education, provoked fears among Kukis that their share of resources would shrink.
Disputes over land rights, political representation, and alleged illegal migration from Myanmar among the hill tribes have further poisoned inter-communal trust.
Clashes have left hundreds dead, tens of thousands displaced, with their homes burnt or vandalised.
Major roads leading to the state and some arteries were blocked by armed militias from both sides in their respective pockets of dominance.
They did not even spare the Army, conducting flag marches in violence-hit areas and trying to control the situation with patience and restraint.
Though the fire has been doused, embers still glow in some areas. The Prime Minister’s announcement of several projects and his soothing words are being looked at as a move to put out the sizzling embers.
“Establishing peace is essential for development in any region and over the past eleven years, many long-standing conflicts and disputes in the North East have been resolved,” said the Prime Minister, adding that people have chosen the path of peace and prioritised development.
Ethnic conflicts have ravaged the region, with successive governments having chosen a temporary truce over a lasting solution.
In districts adjoining Manipur and all across Nagaland, Naga groups seek recognition of a contentious ancestral territory, invoking both Article 3 (Formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing States) and a form of autonomy under Article 239A (Creation of local Legislatures or Council of Ministers or both for certain Union territories).
The Naga struggle traces back to pre-Independence insurgencies, culminating in successive ceasefire and peace accord negotiations with New Delhi since the 1990s.
The final Naga peace accord — an instrument between Naga groups and the governments to settle the issue — remains elusive. Their demand for a “Greater Nagalim” is neither feasible nor appropriate, since it will mean including adjoining areas outside the territory of Nagaland.
The other demand, that for a separate flag or constitution, is also unacceptable, though the government is open to the idea of more autonomy for the Naga-inhabited regions.
Naga bodies are also demanding the revocation of border fencing and restoration of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar frontier. They claim that “arbitrary” demarcation would sever ancestral ties and violate the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
FMR is an India-Myanmar agreement allowing residents living near the border to move freely up to 16 km inside the borders without a visa.
Several complicated issues need to be addressed. Many of these have escalated over time. There have been efforts and initiatives, but not many knots could be opened.
The Prime Minister’s visit marks a new effort, a new vigour, where actions are expected to speak more than words.
As he said, “a new dawn of hope and faith is knocking in Manipur”.
(IANS)
