After 15 months of Manipur violence, PM Modi meets CM Biren Singh face to face

More than a year after ethnic conflict broke out in Manipur, the state’s Chief Minister N Biren Singh seems to have finally had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi, according to news reports.

Biren Singh was in Delhi to attend two meetings – the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and the conference of chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states.

Closed-door meet

Party sources said the Manipur chief minister met the prime minister in a closed-door meeting with Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh also present to discuss the situation in his state where ethnic violence continues even after a year. They reportedly discussed the plans of the centre and the state for a solution to the ongoing conflict.

The Congress had earlier in the day questioned whether the Manipur chief minister was going to meet the prime minister one-on-one.

“The simple question the people of Manipur are asking is this: Did Shri N Biren Singh meet with Shri Narendra Modi separately one-on-one and discuss the situation in Manipur, which started burning on the night of May 3, 2023?” said Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge communications.

Modi's deafening silence

The BJP has faced massive pressure from Opposition parties in and outside Parliament for its inability to bring peace to the state and for PM Modi’s silence on the Manipur issue and the fact that he has not visited the state after violence broke out. The government seems to have realised the urgent need to establish peace between the warring tribes after losing both Lok Sabha seats in the state to the Congress in the recent elections.

The conflict has been raging between the Meitei community based in the valley and the Kuki-Zo tribes based in the hills of Manipur. The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category.