Churachandpur | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday vowed to transform strife-torn Manipur into a symbol of peace and prosperity, urging all groups to shun violence and asserting that the Centre was standing firmly with the people of the state.
Addressing a public meeting in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district during his first visit to Manipur after ethnic violence broke out in May 2023, Modi said a "new dawn of hope and trust" was rising in the state.
"A short while ago, I met the affected people at a relief camp. After meeting them, I can say with confidence that a new dawn of hope and trust is rising in Manipur," he said.
Hailing Manipur as the land of hope and aspiration, Modi said that "unfortunately, violence had cast its shadow on this beautiful region".
"For development to take root anywhere, peace is essential. In the last 11 years, many conflicts and disputes in the Northeast have been resolved. People have chosen the path of peace and given priority to development," he said.
The PM said the Centre's sustained engagement with all sides, through dialogue and development, would bring back normalcy.
"I appeal to all organisations that moving on the path of peace will help realise your dreams. Secure the future of your children. And I promise you today that I am with you. The Centre is with you, with the people of Manipur," he said, drawing a loud applause.
The PM, who has faced sharp opposition criticism for not travelling to Manipur despite the prolonged unrest in which over 260 people had been killed and thousands were rendered homeless, underlined that the Centre's efforts were already yielding results.
"We have seen that recently in the Hills and the Valley… negotiations have taken place for agreements with different groups. These are part of the efforts of the Government of India to establish peace while giving importance to dialogue, respect, and mutual understanding," he said.
Modi travelled to Churachandpur from Imphal by road as his helicopter could not take off due to inclement weather.
A large number of people lined the roads to greet him, holding the tricolour and placards.
"The love I received on the way to Churachandpur, I will never forget in my life," Modi said.
Before addressing the public meeting, he interacted with families displaced by the violence at a relief camp and laid the foundation stones for projects worth more than Rs 7,300 crore.
"For Manipur's development, for the resettlement of displaced families, and for the establishment of peace, the Centre will continue to support the Manipur government in every possible way," he said.
Improving connectivity in the state was a central part of the PM's address.
Modi said that since 2014, the Centre has invested Rs 3,700 crore for upgrading the existing national highways in Manipur, while another Rs 8,700 crore was being spent on new highways.
"The Jiribam-Imphal railway line, with an outlay of Rs 22,000 crore, will soon connect the state capital with the national rail network. This will change the face of Manipur's economy. Similarly, the Rs 400-crore modernisation of Imphal airport is giving new heights to air connectivity," he said.
In the education and healthcare sectors, Modi highlighted a marked shift in the hill districts, which he said had long been neglected.
"Earlier, good schools and hospitals in the Hills and tribal areas were only a dream. Today, with the Centre’s efforts, this situation is changing. In Churachandpur, a medical college has now been established. New doctors are coming out and healthcare has improved," he said.
It was the BJP-led government, he stressed, that had set up the first-ever medical colleges in the tribal hills, decades after Independence.
"Through Ayushman Bharat, more than 2.5 lakh patients in Manipur have received free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh," he said.
The PM also drew attention to improvements in basic amenities. He said the government has built permanent houses for the poor across the country, with thousands of families in Manipur benefiting.
"Seven to eight years back, water came through pipes to only 25-30,000 houses. Today, more than 3.5 lakh houses here have the facility," he said.
Asserting that India was poised to become the world's third-largest economy, Modi said the government was determined to ensure that the fruits of development reach every corner of the country, including the remotest parts of the Northeast.
Modi said, "The name Manipur itself has 'mani', and this is the gem that will shine for the entire Northeast in the times to come. The Centre has been consistently striving to take Manipur forward on the path of development. As part of this effort, I am here today among all of you."
Concluding his address, Modi said, "I would appeal to all organisations to move forward on the path of peace and fulfil their dreams. Secure the future of your children."
Imphal/Churachandpur | People in large numbers gathered on both sides of the roads in Manipur’s Churachandpur and Imphal and greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday during his visit to the strife-torn state.
On the streets, many enthusiasts furiously clicked on their mobile phones to capture the momentous occasion, while others stood waving placards and banners with slogans in praise of the PM.
They greeted the prime minister with cheers and waving of the national flags along the 7-km stretch from the Imphal airport to Kangla Fort, and also on his way to Churachandpur’s Peace Ground.
Schoolchildren in uniforms were also among those who gathered on both sides of the roads to have a glimpse of the prime minister.
Modi waved at the people and accepted their greetings with folded hands from inside his vehicle. The prime minister was also seen smiling at the enthusiastic people.
A similar scene was witnessed when the prime minister was going to Imphal airport for Assam.
During his visit to Manipur, the prime minister interacted with a section of the people belonging to the two warring communities, Kuki and Meitei, who were displaced due to the ethnic violence in the state.
He inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for projects worth Rs 8,500 crore, and addressed public meetings in Imphal and Churachandpur.
Addressing the public meeting in Imphal's Kangla Fort, Modi said a strong bridge of "trust" must be built between the people of the Hills and the Valley in Manipur.
The prime minister said his government was committed to "healing wounds, restoring confidence, and ensuring no family is left behind".
Addressing the meeting in Churachandpur, the PM urged various outfits to shun violence and asserted that his government stood firmly with the people of Manipur and was working towards the goal of making the strife-torn state a symbol of peace and prosperity.
Modi’s trip, the first since ethnic violence broke out two years ago, comes amid repeated criticism by opposition parties for not visiting Manipur following the strife between the Kuki and Meitei communities, which has left over 260 people dead and thousands homeless since May 2023.
New Delhi | The Congress Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Manipur visit as a "pit stop", and said it was "shockingly insensitive" of him to be there "for less than five hours" when he has the time and inclination to spend days campaigning and travelling worldwide.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the people of Manipur have been undergoing tremendous pain, distress, suffering, and agony for the past 28 months ever since violence erupted in the state.
"The people of Manipur have waited patiently for the prime minister to visit the state. He has finally obliged them today. But he was in the state, from landing till take-off, for less than 5 hours," he said on X.
"The prime minister has the time (and the inclination) to spend days campaigning and travelling across the world. But is Manipur worth only so much to him? It is shockingly insensitive. 'Der aaye durust nahi aaye' (too late to be effective)," Ramesh said.
Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi of organising a grand welcome ceremony for himself and claimed that it "is a cruel prick" to the wounds of those still suffering. "In the words of your own... Where is your Rajdharma?" Kharge asked on X just before Modi's Manipur visit.
"Narendra Modi ji, your three-hour pit stop in Manipur is not compassion -- it's a farce, tokenism, and a grave insult to wounded people. Your so-called roadshow in Imphal and Churachandpur today is nothing but a cowardly escape from hearing the cries of people in relief camps!" the Congress chief said in his X post.
He also said that during the "864 days of violence, 300 lives were lost, 67,000 displaced, 1,500 plus injured". "You made 46 foreign trips since, but not a single visit to share two words of sympathy with your own citizens," Kharge said.
"Your last visit to Manipur? January 2022 for elections! Your 'Double Engine' has bulldozed the innocent lives of Manipur. You and Home Minister Amit Shah's gross incompetence and complicity in betraying all communities were shielded from scrutiny by imposing President's Rule in the state. Violence still continues," he said.
Keeping up with his attack on the ruling party, the Congress president said, "It is the BJP which was responsible for maintaining law and order in the state, and it is now the Union government which is again dithering."
"Not to forget, that is your government, which is responsible for national security and border patrol. This hush-hush pit stop isn't repentance. It's not even guilt. You are organising a grand welcome ceremony for yourself.
"It is a cruel prick to the wounds of those still suffering because of your own abdication of basic constitutional responsibilities!" Kharge added.
Speaking to reporters in Kerala's Wayanad, Congress general secretary and local MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also hit out at the prime minister and said he should have visited the northeastern state long ago.
"I am glad that he has decided, after two years, that it is worth visiting (Manipur). He should have gone long before. It is very unfortunate that he has allowed what is happening there to continue for so long and for so many people to be killed. That has not been the tradition of prime ministers in India," she said.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also lashed out at the prime minister over his Manipur visit, calling it a "belated and face-saving farce".
PM Modi's Manipur visit on Saturday is a display of how sorely lacking in empathy and compassion a leader can be, he claimed.
Venogopal, in his X post, said Manipur has been burning since 2023, and the prime minister found time to pay a visit now -- after two-and-a-half years.
"This visit too is a half-hearted measure, with him spending barely a few hours there, and is clubbed with a visit to Mizoram," the Congress leader said.
He said the Modi government has neither presented a solution to address the "deep social rift that caused the civil war" nor does it have the "courage to bring warring groups together" and make a genuine attempt at peace.
"Instead, he is treating this like any other PR event, treating his grand arrival as an occasion to celebrate. Such a tone deaf, insensitive and self-aggrandising stunt will be nothing but a mockery of the people of Manipur.
"As this belated, face-saving farce takes place today, one is left to wonder whether those who peddle hate every single day can ever be messengers of peace," Venugopal said.
Modi reached Manipur on Saturday afternoon on his first visit to the state after ethnic violence broke out in May 2023. He said a strong bridge of "trust" must be built between the people of the hills and the valley in the state.
Addressing a public meeting in Imphal's Kangla Fort, the prime minister said his government was committed to "healing wounds, restoring confidence, and ensuring no family is left behind".
