The Manipur State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to the state on September 13, describing it as a “Pyrrhic victory” for the people of Manipur and the state’s body politic after more than two years of appeals for his presence.
In a statement issued by Kshetrimayum Santa, Secretary of CPI(M) Manipur, the party recalled that since the outbreak of ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis in May 2023, political parties across ideological lines, along with civil society organisations, had repeatedly invited the Prime Minister to visit Manipur or convene an all-party meeting in Delhi to deliberate on restoring normalcy. Despite these efforts, including a 20-day sit-in by leaders of ten political parties in Delhi in June 2023 seeking an appointment with the Prime Minister, no meeting was granted. Even the then Governor, who personally appealed to the Prime Minister in Delhi, was unable to secure his attention, the statement said.
The CPI(M) noted that in the 28 months since the violence began, hundreds of lives have been lost, thousands remain in relief camps, entire villages were destroyed, and properties worth thousands of crores reduced to rubble. Yet, the party alleged, the Prime Minister “chose to look on the tragedies as if it were a spectacle.”
The statement further criticised the BJP-led “double engine government” for failing to implement key decisions, including the March 8 resolution to open Manipur’s national highways for free movement. It also condemned the Centre’s decision to extend the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki armed groups for another year, calling it a disregard of the unanimous resolution of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Despite these grievances, the CPI(M) expressed hope that peace could be restored through the collective participation of all communities, irrespective of caste, creed, ethnicity, religion or gender. It appealed to the Governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, to urgently arrange an all-party meeting, including civil society groups, with the Prime Minister during his brief visit to Imphal.