Manipur CM Seeks Support from Naga Bodies to Restore Peace

Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday sought support from Naga bodies in Senapati district to help restore peace in the violence-hit northeastern state and asserted that his government was working hard to bring unity among communities.

Speaking at a cultural event - Robvena Ni - in Punanamei village, Singh said Manipur has been facing "hardship in the last 19 months and the situation is improving gradually by God's grace".

"This event is based on the theme of getting together, reconciliation and forgiveness, which are needed in Manipur," Singh said.

"The role of the people of Senapati district is huge. The role of the Naga Peoples' Organisation, Senapati District Students' Association, United Naga Council Headquarters and other civic societies is huge in protecting the unity and integrity of the state and strengthening the indigenous communities of Manipur," the chief minister said.

The Go-to-Hills campaign of the state government was launched to initiate interactions between residents of the hills and people of the plains, Singh said.

He also said another objective of the campaign was to bring the government to the people of the hills.

"I came here today to seek help from the people of Senapati district to restore peace and normalcy in the state," he said.

The chief minister asserted that it would be "difficult to establish a united Manipur without equal development and mutual respect" among the people of the hills and the valley.

Singh also said the war on drugs campaign was aimed at saving the youths from the menace, while the identification of illegal immigrants was initiated "through constitutional provisions to protect the numerically less indigenous population".

"We have some 34 recognised tribes, of which 24 or 25 are indigenous. Some people are old settlers but non-indigenous. For the welfare and unity of all these tribes, the Sangai Ethnic Park to showcase the culture of each tribe was established by the government. We tried hard for the unity of all," Singh said.

The chief minister claimed that the administration has witnessed "the growth of villages of unrecognised people in the state through satellite images".

"The records were not manipulated. We had to consider the population of indigenous people (in the wake of such growing villages of unrecognised groups). The count of indigenous Naga people of Mao, Maram, Poumai and others is hardly one lakh. The population of Tangkhul, the largest Naga sub-tribe, is not much.

"Under such circumstances, it was necessary to identify illegal immigrants and this exercise was also conducted through constitutional provisions. Unfortunately, this led to unwanted incidents and many lives have been lost and many left homeless," Singh said.

More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur since May last year.

Singh also said efforts are underway to build a Rs 140-crore unity mall in Imphal East district, which will have stalls from all recognised tribes.

He also called for the need to expand Senapati town to accommodate the growing population and infrastructure development.

The chief minister reached the interior Naga village to attend the programme by helicopter after the Kuki Zo Council in Churachandpur claimed that it would not allow him to go to Senapati by passing through Kangpokpi district by road.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)