Imphal, Sep 22 Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Tuesday urged people to set aside political differences and work together to restore peace in the state.
Singh made the remark while speaking at a programme at Arapti Lilong Mapal Kangjeibung, where he inaugurated five development projects under the Keirao constituency in Imphal East district.
“If Manipur is to build a progressive society, it is necessary to work towards peace for the sake of the younger generation,” the CM said.
People on both sides affected by the ethnic conflict in the state have been facing hardships, he said.
“Development cannot take place in areas where the conflict continues,” he said, urging every member of the 36 communities that have been living together in the state to play a greater role in preventing further conflict.
The ethnic conflict that erupted in May 2023 between the valley-based Meitei and the hill-based Kuki communities has claimed at least 306 lives, with 49 individuals remaining missing and thousands left homeless.
Referring to the seven years of devastation during the Manipur-Burmese War from 1819 to 1826, Singh said that leaders of all communities living in the state, including the Naga, Kuki, Meitei and Pangal, had at several times worked together and helped drive out the Burmese from the soil of Manipur.
He recalled the spirit of collective effort and appealed to all communities to “work together to restore peace in the northeastern state.
The five projects inaugurated on Tuesday included a modern agro market complex at Kiyamgei, two bridges over the Imphal and Iril rivers, a working women’s hostel at Kiyamgei Mamang Leikai, an RCC gallery, and a football field.
(PTI News)
