Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s address before the NITI Aayog Governing Council in New Delhi was rich in optimism, confidence and declarations of progress. Listening to the speech, one could easily conclude that Manipur is steadily leaving behind the scars of conflict and moving towards reconciliation and prosperity. Unfortunately, the lived reality of thousands of citizens tells a far more complicated story.
The Chief Minister claimed that the law and order situation has improved and that the state is moving steadily towards peace. But peace is not measured by speeches delivered in conference halls. It is measured by conditions on the ground. It is measured by whether displaced families have safely returned home, whether communities can travel freely across the state, whether fear has disappeared from people’s daily lives, and whether justice has been delivered to victims.
By these standards, Manipur remains far from normal.
The violence that erupted in May 2023 may no longer dominate national headlines, but the conflict has not truly ended. The state continues to exist in a condition of uneasy separation. Entire communities remain divided by invisible borders. Buffer zones continue to define the geography of mistrust. Many citizens still cannot move freely between areas that once formed part of their everyday lives. The absence of large-scale clashes should not be confused with the presence of peace.
Perhaps the most striking claim in the Chief Minister’s speech was that around 11,000 displaced families have been resettled. If this figure is indeed accurate, the government deserves credit for its efforts. Yet the more important question remains unanswered: how many of these families have actually returned to their original homes and rebuilt their lives? Thousands continue to live in relief camps and temporary shelters. Many villages remain deserted. Countless displaced persons still fear returning to areas where their homes were destroyed and their security remains uncertain.
Resettlement is not merely about shifting people from one location to another. True rehabilitation means restoring dignity, livelihoods, safety and confidence. That objective remains largely unfulfilled.
The Chief Minister also spoke of rebuilding trust and reconciliation among communities. Such statements sound encouraging, but they are difficult to reconcile with the realities visible across the state. Trust cannot be restored through administrative announcements alone. It cannot be achieved through official meetings or video conferences. Trust returns when communities begin interacting naturally once again, when suspicion gives way to confidence and when people feel secure enough to coexist without fear. There is little evidence that Manipur has reached that stage.
The government’s tendency to highlight isolated success stories while ignoring larger unresolved issues is equally troubling. The example of Jiribam, where members of different communities reportedly came together in a spirit of peace, is certainly commendable. Yet one district cannot become a substitute for the broader reality. What has been achieved in Jiribam has not yet been replicated in Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, Kamjong or several other conflict-affected areas where divisions remain deeply entrenched.
Equally revealing is what the Chief Minister chose not to discuss. There was little mention of accountability. There was no meaningful discussion on justice for victims, prosecution of perpetrators, recovery of looted weapons or the long-pending demands of those who lost family members, homes and livelihoods during the violence. Development projects and rehabilitation packages are important, but they cannot replace justice. Without accountability, grievances remain alive beneath the surface.
The government appears eager to project an image of recovery before national institutions and the Central leadership. Such political messaging may be understandable. However, governance must be guided by reality, not by the desire to present a favourable narrative.
Manipur does not need declarations that peace has arrived. It needs policies that make peace possible. It does not need carefully crafted narratives of success while thousands remain displaced and communities remain divided. It needs honesty about the scale of the challenges that still lie ahead.
The people of Manipur have endured loss, displacement and uncertainty for far too long. They deserve more than reassuring speeches. They deserve a government willing to confront uncomfortable truths, acknowledge unfinished tasks and deliver genuine reconciliation. Until then, claims of normalcy will remain exactly what they are today—an aspiration, not a reality.
