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The people’s newsroom

StatesManipur

Peace only way for Manipur to share in India's growth, says CM Khemchand

Speaking in Imphal on Saturday, the Chief Minister said the Census had been deferred in the state after the Centre was told of public worries about updating the NRC first.

From the editorial desk · ImphalPublished
Manipur Legislative Assembly building in Imphal (file photo)
Manipur Legislative Assembly building in Imphal (file photo)Photo: Ramchandra9 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Key points

  1. Y Khemchand Singh said peace is the only way for Manipur to develop.
  2. He said the Census has been deferred in Manipur.
  3. The state's month-long Seva Sankalp campaign drew over 4 lakh people.

Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh said on Saturday that peace was the only way for the state to take part in India’s growth, and told a gathering in Imphal that the Census had been deferred in Manipur.

“Peace is the only way for the state to participate in the journey of development,” he said at the Jan Sevak Mahakumbh. India could not be considered developed without Manipur’s development, he said, linking the state’s future to the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal of a strong India by the 100th year of independence.

Census and the NRC

The Chief Minister said the Centre had been told of public concern over updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census, and that the Census had been deferred in the state. He did not give a new timetable.

He also spoke of the Manipuri language as a bridge between communities, and said it should be cherished and used more widely. State Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam said restoring peace needed mutual trust and understanding among all communities.

The event closed the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, held in every district from 17 September to 17 October to mark 25 years of Narendra Modi in public office as Gujarat Chief Minister and then Prime Minister. “The successful month-long campaign witnessed the participation of more than 4 lakh people in 6,122 venues across the state,” Singh said.

Violence goes on

The call for peace came on a day of fresh violence. In Kamjong district, a man was shot dead and four others were wounded in a gun attack by suspected militants.

The ethnic conflict that broke out in May 2023 between the Meitei community of the Imphal valley and the Kuki community of the hills has killed at least 306 people. Forty-nine people are still missing and thousands remain homeless. Clashes between Kuki and Naga communities have also been reported in recent months.