No other way to resolve present crisis in Manipur except dialogue: Khemchand

Khemchand is the first Meitei MLA to have recently visited two Kuki villages of Litan and Chassad in Ukhrul and Kamjong districts

IMPHAL: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Friday reiterated that there was no other way to resolve the present ethnic crisis in Manipur except through peace and dialogue.

Khemchand said people from both Meitei and Kuki communities have been suffering for the last two years as they couldn’t enter each other’s areas

“The only way forward in Manipur today is peace and dialogue. Let us pray that this Christmas bring peace in the state,” Khemchand Singh told newspersons on the sidelines of an all-community Christmas gathering organised by the Liangmei Nagas of Namdilong village in Imphal West district, bordering Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district.

Khemchand is the first Meitei MLA to have recently visited two Kuki villages of Litan and Chassad in Ukhrul and Kamjong districts after May 2023 violence and met Kuki people who had been displaced.

Over 260 people died in the Meitei-Kuki violence, which erupted in May, 2023 and rendered thousands homeless. Over 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are languishing in various relief camps across the state.

Meitei and Kuki-Zo tribal areas have been virtually partitioned with security agencies establishing buffer regions between them since the violence broke out. The violence first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community.

He said that Manipur was made up of 36 communities and all the communities have their role to play in safeguarding the interests of the state. “We, all the 36 communities, should join hands to safeguard and protect Manipur,” said Khemchand.

Khemchand said Nagas and Kukis participated in the Indian National Army (INA) campaign of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose like Meitei freedom fighters against the British troops during World War II. He said that all the 36 communities in the state have been fighting together to save Manipur from external aggression.