Chief Minister N Biren Singh has sharply reacted to senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s inquiry about why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited Manipur, a state riven by violence, by questioning why former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao did not visit the Northeastern state during the 1992–1993 unrest.
Chief Minister Singh told reporters yesterday that Manipur had a bad year and hoped that peace would return this year as he addressed the media on the final day of 2024.
“This entire year has been very unfortunate. I want to say sorry to the people of the state for what’s happening till today since last May 3. Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I feel regret. I apologise. But now, I hope after seeing the last three to four months progress towards the peace, I believe by 2025, the normalcy will be restored in the state,” he said.
“I want to appeal to all the communities in the state, whatever happened has happened. You have to forgive and forget the past mistakes and we have to start a new life (towards) a peaceful and prosperous Manipur,” the Chief Minister added.
Mr Ramesh responded with a jab, accusing the Centre of neglecting the state. “Why can’t the Prime Minister go to Manipur and say the same thing there? He has deliberately avoided visiting the state since May 4th, 2023, even as he jets around the country and the world. The people of Manipur simply cannot understand this neglect,” the Congress leader said in a post on X.
The Chief Minister responded with a long post, holding Congress responsible for the situation in Manipur today. “Everyone, including yourself, is aware that Manipur is in turmoil today because of the past sins committed by the Congress, such as the repeated settlement of Burmese refugees in Manipur and the signing of the SoO Agreement with Myanmar-based militants in the state, spearheaded by @PChidambaram_IN during his tenure as the Home Minister of India,” he said.
Mr Singh was earlier with the Congress and switched to the BJP after disagreements with then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
The Chief Minister said his apology was a “sincere act of expressing my grief for the people who have been left displaced and become homeless”. “As a Chief Minister, it was an appeal to forgive and forget what had happened. However, you brought politics into it,” he said.
“Let me remind you: The Naga-Kuki clashes in Manipur resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,300 people and the displacement of thousands more. The violence persisted for several years, with periodic escalations occurring between 1992 and 1997, though the most intense period of conflict was in 1992-1993.
“The clashes began in 1992 and continued at varying intensities for around five years (1992-1997). This period marked one of the bloodiest ethnic conflicts in northeast India, deeply affecting relations between the Naga and Kuki communities in Manipur. Did Shri PV Narasimha Rao, who served as the Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996 and was the President of the Indian National Congress during this time, come to Manipur to extend an apology?,” the Chief Minister asked.
“The Kuki-Paite clashes claimed 350 lives in the state. During most of the Kuki-Paite clashes (1997-1998), Shri IK Gujral was the Prime Minister of India. Did he visit Manipur and say sorry to the people?” he added. “Instead of putting efforts to solve the core issues in Manipur, why is the @INCIndia playing politics over it all the time?”
Since May of last year, when violence broke out over the Meities community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation and the tribal Kukis’ resistance to it, unrest in Manipur has taken more than 180 lives.
