Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has called for peace between warring ethnic groups in the northeastern state of Manipur.
In a speech to the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha, Modi said: ‘The central and the state governments are working towards peace. I assure people of Manipur that peace will be restored soon.’
He added: ‘The country is with you. We will sit together and find a solution to the current challenge to restore peace and put Manipur on the path of development.’
This small impoverished rural region in India’s northeast has long been home to many small kingdoms and warring tribal groups. In May there were major clashes between the Meitei people and Kuki people, which left 181 people dead and 50 000 displaced. India has deployed thousands of troops to the region to keep the peace.
Indian opposition parties have criticised Modi for his silence on the issue, saying that Thursday’s speech was the first time he had directly addressed the issue. Some opposition members have claimed that Modi had not spoken on the issue, as he favours the majority-Hindu Meitei as opposed to the majority-Christian Kuki.
[Image: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60775594]