'Ray of hope'

Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) leader Ginza Vualzong on Thursday said the President's rule in Manipur will give a ray of hope to the Kuki-Zo community and added that having a new Meitei chief minister is "far from comforting".

Reacting to the imposition of President's rule in Manipur on Thursday, four days after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned from his position, Vualzong said the President's rule is preferable to a change of CM.

"The Kuki-Zo do not trust Meitei anymore, so a new Meitei CM is still far from comforting. The President's rule will give a ray of hope to the Kuki-Zo and we believe that it will be one step closer to our political solution," he said.

Vualzong said under the President's rule, the groundwork to end violence will begin, which will pave the way for a conducive environment for political dialogue.