Nearly two years after ethnic violence scarred Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the northeastern state on September 13 to unveil development projects worth Rs 8,500 crore, officials said on Thursday.
Opposition parties have criticised the Prime Minister for not visiting earlier, noting that clashes between Kuki and Meitei communities in May 2023 left over 260 dead and thousands homeless.
Officials said Modi will lay foundation stones for projects valued at Rs 7,300 crore from Peace Ground in Churachandpur, a Kuki-majority region. In the state capital Imphal, dominated by Meiteis, he will inaugurate infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,200 crore.
Speculation had been rife that Modi’s official trip to neighbouring Mizoram would be combined with a visit to Manipur. While neither the government nor the BJP had confirmed this earlier, large billboards announcing the Prime Minister’s programmes at Churachandpur’s Peace Ground and Kangla Fort in Imphal were erected on Thursday evening. The hoarding at Keisampat Junction, near the BJP state headquarters, is expected to be joined by more across the city.
Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February, following the resignation of chief minister N Biren Singh. Ahead of the visit, the state government issued an advisory asking attendees at the “VVIP programme” at Peace Ground not to carry items such as keys, pens, water bottles, bags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, lighters, matches, cloth, sharp objects or arms and ammunition. Children below 12 and sick persons were also advised to stay away.
Also read: NE states on high alert ahead of PM Modi’s visit
Leishemba Sanajaoba, Manipur’s lone Rajya Sabha MP, described the visit as “very fortunate” for the state. “It’s a great fortune that Modi will be listening to the hardships faced by the people… Manipur has had a history of violent clashes in the past. However, no prime minister has visited the state during such times and listened to the people. Modi is the first PM to visit during such hard times,” he said. In a video message, he appealed to the public to welcome the Prime Minister and avoid boycott calls.
Security has been tightened in Imphal and Churachandpur, officials said. Both state and central forces have been deployed around the nearly 237-acre Kangla Fort in Imphal and Peace Ground in Churachandpur, where a grand stage is being erected for the Prime Minister’s function.
Central security teams, assisted by state personnel, are conducting round-the-clock inspections at Kangla Fort, and boats of the state disaster management force are patrolling the moats surrounding the fort. Kangla Fort, once the seat of Manipuri rulers before the 1891 annexation, is bordered by moats on three sides and the Imphal river to the east, enclosing a polo field, a small forest, ruins of temples and state archaeological offices.
An advance team of central security officials has also reached Churachandpur. Bamboo barricades have been installed along the route from the BSF camp to Peace Ground, and police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to maintain order.
Officials emphasised that the visit will showcase the government’s commitment to development while addressing longstanding concerns arising from the 2023 violence.
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