Manipur rebels call for boycott of PM’s visit

Amid the hectic preparations for the VVIP visit in the restive Manipur, Coordination Committee (CorCom), a conglomerate of armed rebel groups threatened to impose a total shutdown on September 13, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Manipur.
Though the government is yet to publicly announce the visit, the Prime Minister is expected to visit the restive state on September 13, for which preparations by various state government agencies are in full-swing.
The SPG arrived in Imphal yesterday on Tuesday and sources said that they started reviewing and overseeing the security preparations being made in the state capital as well as at Churachandpur district headquarters for the high profile VVIP visit.
The SPG, India’s elite security unit, is responsible for the Prime Minister’s personal protection and movement safety among others responsibility like providing proximate security to former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members.
The SPG will also conduct area domination exercises at the places and venues where the Prime Minister will be visiting and addressing gatherings for the security reasons.
The SPG team will be coordinated by local police and paramilitary forces in the exercises to ensure foolproof security arrangements for the VVIP visit, the source said. Various reports, including sources in the state BJP, indicate that the the Prime Minister would be touching the restive Manipur during his Mizoram and Assam visits to be started from September 13.
The Prime Minister would be addressing high profile meetings at Churachandpur district headquarters and at Imphal’s Kangla fort during his visit on September 13, the state BJP believed. Enhancing the speculation, BJP national spokesperson who is also party’s northeast coordinator MP Dr Sambit Patra along with party’s Manipur in-charge Rajya Sabha MP Dr Ajit Gopchade also arrived in Imphal on Wednesday.
Sources in the state BJP disclosed that they arrived here to coordinate party level arrangement for Modi’s scheduled visit.
Upon their arrival at Imphal airport, the two leaders were received by a team of senior state BJP leaders led by president A Sarda Devi and some MLAs.
However, both the leaders avoided media interactions despite reporters seeking their comments on the Prime Minister’s likely visit.
The total shutdown will be effective from 1 am on September 13 till the Prime Minister departs and exemption will be given to essential services including medical facilities, fire services, water supply, and religious rituals, the statement asserted.
The Prime Minister’s visit was not intended to restore peace, harmony, or development in the state, but rather aimed at fostering enmity between communities by “exploiting proxy-war elements”, the CorCom accused in a statement issued by its publicity committee.
The CorCom highlighted that since the outbreak of violence on May 3, 2023, Manipur has experienced one of its worst ethnic crises, with approximately 250 people killed and nearly 60,000 displaced.
Apart from this, thousands of houses were torched or vandalized leaving the displaced persons with nothing.
However, for such a long time, as a Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi chose to remain silent without saying a word and he had not come to the state despite calls from various quarters to visit except a selective comment when a video of Kuki women parading naked went viral on the internet. CorCom said that in Modi’s comment, he boldly slammed the Meitei community with his strongest words but he deliberately ignored and remained silent against the brutal murder of six persons- three women and three children, after they were kidnapped and tortured inhumanly in Jiribam district.
Since the outbreak of the violent conflict, Narendra Modi has visited more than 50 countries and toured over 40 states of the country.
He, however, avoided visiting this restive state. The people of the state made uncountable number requests for his visit to the state. But, he did not listen. Now, there is no need for his present in the state. There would be nothing different whether he comes or not, the CorCom asserted.
On the other hand, the people of the state would like to know the actual purpose of his visit –whether he is coming to end the ongoing crisis or to inaugurate projects or to reinstall BJP’s government in the state. The people would like to know, the statement read.
The conglomerate criticized New Delhi for its perceived indifference, alleging that the ongoing restrictions, including highway bans, and the failure to restore internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Imphal, Moreh, and Churachandpur, have exacerbated tensions.
The CorCom finally warned that unless an inclusive and genuine dialogue addressing the grievances of all communities is pursued, Manipur risks further instability and intensified ethnic violence.