NEW DELHI: PM Modi’s visit to Manipur Saturday – his first since the 2023 outbreak of ethnic violence – was always expected to be a high-visbility affair with high stakes. It lived up to the billing, with Modi reaching out to Meiteis and Kukis by emphasising well being of both the communities – parties to the dispute that shattered the peace and derailed development in the state.Modi promised to be partner and amplified the intent by laying foundation stones for projects totalling Rs 7,000-7,300 crore and announced targeted health, connectivity and education investments. The moves deliberately designed to reach “the last mile” and create economic anchors for social order. His speech in Churachandpur mixed soft appeals for peace with a sales pitch for growth – salute to local resilience, pledges on roads, rail and health, and promises to resettle displaced families.The PM’s absence during the peak of the violence had drawn repeated attacks from the opposition, who accused him of “turning his back on Manipur” while lives were lost and thousands displaced. Modi, sources say, had a different calculus in mind. He asked authorities to fix law and order in a state with a porous border and awash with firearms, and prepare the ground for his message of development.Saluting Manipur as the “land of courage and fortitude,” Modi framed development as the antidote to despair. The PM also underlined that peace is a prerequisite for growth. “Dialogue, respect and mutual understanding are key,” he said, noting that earlier accords in the North-East had ended long standing disputes. By tying Manipur’s healing to India’s broader economic rise, Modi sought to recast the state as a frontier of opportunity rather than conflict.The opposition is not going to relent on criticism, but Modi govt seems to have reckoned that funds for development and presence of large number of central boots would help it prevail in battle of narratives.
