<p>By installing a government in strife-torn Manipur, after a year of President’s rule in the state, the Centre appears to have navigated a crisis point. An extension of the rule, imposed after N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister on February 9 last year, would have required Constitutional clearances. The past year did not take Manipur any closer to absolute normalcy. </p>.<p>Violence erupted many times – the killing of a Meitei man who was visiting his Kuki wife in the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur last month points to persisting distrust and hostility between the two dominant communities. Most of the over 60,000 people displaced during the violence that started in May 2023 are still in rehabilitation camps. It is reported that a large portion of the arms looted from government armouries or police stations are still in circulation.</p>.<p>The new government under Yumnam Khemchand Singh, a senior Meitei leader of the BJP, was sworn in last week with two deputy chief ministers – Nemcha Kipgen, from the Kuki community, and Losii Dikho, from the Naga People’s Front (NPF), an ally of the BJP. The arrangement is intended to provide representation in the government to all three major communities of the state. Former chief minister Biren Singh had made his bias for the Meitei community clear before and during the unrest, aggravating the crisis. Khemchand Singh has sent out signals that he wants reconciliation between all the communities. He was among those in the party who wanted a change of leadership when Biren Singh was at the helm. In December, he visited a Kuki relief camp in the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district. For the party, he was a consensus choice to lead the state.</p>.<p>As the new government takes charge, its primary task will be to establish trust between the two major communities. It will take more than symbolic gestures, such as fair representation in the government or public declarations of unbiased rehabilitation policies. The state remains divided along the lines of community; members of one do not enter areas controlled by the other. </p><p>It is to be noted that many of the issues that triggered the conflict remain. Kuki organisations have stuck to their demand for a separate administrative unit. The Kuki-Zo Council has even warned MLAs of the community against joining the government, signalling a major challenge for the new dispensation. Only a political resolution can bring in lasting peace and normalcy. The presence of a democratic administrative structure is a start that needs to be built on with real intent.</p>
<p>By installing a government in strife-torn Manipur, after a year of President’s rule in the state, the Centre appears to have navigated a crisis point. An extension of the rule, imposed after N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister on February 9 last year, would have required Constitutional clearances. The past year did not take Manipur any closer to absolute normalcy. </p>.<p>Violence erupted many times – the killing of a Meitei man who was visiting his Kuki wife in the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur last month points to persisting distrust and hostility between the two dominant communities. Most of the over 60,000 people displaced during the violence that started in May 2023 are still in rehabilitation camps. It is reported that a large portion of the arms looted from government armouries or police stations are still in circulation.</p>.<p>The new government under Yumnam Khemchand Singh, a senior Meitei leader of the BJP, was sworn in last week with two deputy chief ministers – Nemcha Kipgen, from the Kuki community, and Losii Dikho, from the Naga People’s Front (NPF), an ally of the BJP. The arrangement is intended to provide representation in the government to all three major communities of the state. Former chief minister Biren Singh had made his bias for the Meitei community clear before and during the unrest, aggravating the crisis. Khemchand Singh has sent out signals that he wants reconciliation between all the communities. He was among those in the party who wanted a change of leadership when Biren Singh was at the helm. In December, he visited a Kuki relief camp in the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district. For the party, he was a consensus choice to lead the state.</p>.<p>As the new government takes charge, its primary task will be to establish trust between the two major communities. It will take more than symbolic gestures, such as fair representation in the government or public declarations of unbiased rehabilitation policies. The state remains divided along the lines of community; members of one do not enter areas controlled by the other. </p><p>It is to be noted that many of the issues that triggered the conflict remain. Kuki organisations have stuck to their demand for a separate administrative unit. The Kuki-Zo Council has even warned MLAs of the community against joining the government, signalling a major challenge for the new dispensation. Only a political resolution can bring in lasting peace and normalcy. The presence of a democratic administrative structure is a start that needs to be built on with real intent.</p>
