Healing touch: Will a Modi visit suffice?

On Saturday, after two long years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi found time to visit the strife-torn state of Manipur which has been in the grip of ethnic violence for more than two years. He lent a patient hearing to the woes of the violence-affected people and also sent out a message to reassure them that the Central government would stand with them in rebuilding their lives, which had been wrecked by the incidents of the past.

Confident words no doubt, but one could not help wondering what kept the prime minister from visiting the tiny state much earlier and igniting a ray of hope among the harried citizens that normalcy would be restored and they could go back to their lives without fear of being attacked? More than 200 people have died in the violence and thousands have been injured. The number of those who have been driven from their homes is much more. The troubled state is still under President’s rule with no date announced yet for elections, which could help install a democratically elected government once again.

The prime minister had kept away from the state despite several calls made by the Opposition parties, making people wonder why the BJP was turning its back on the state which had a BJP government in power till recently. As the ethnic conflict between the Meiti community and the Kukis raged, it was obvious that the ruling party was helpless in finding a solution acceptable to both sides. Innocent lives and valuable assets were lost in an internecine battle which has left no winners and only losers on both sides.

So how will the Centre proceed with resolving the Manipur imbroglio now that the PM has made his much awaited visit?  Will holding Assembly elections and the coming to power of a people’s government help resolve the simmering tensions between the two communities? Modi’s praise of the state while describing it as ‘the land of hope and aspiration’ and  the announcement of Rs 7300 crore worth projects should serve as a much-needed inspiration to restart the development process and lend a healing touch to wounded minds.

But then, much has been destroyed in two years; families have lost their dear ones, businesses have shut down, livelihoods have been lost and people have fled for their lives when the community rift grew worse. Not much has been done by the political leadership to heal the wounds with people eyeing each other with suspicion and leaders still clueless when it comes to finding a solution to the root cause of the divide -the quota row.

All these issues cannot be wished away and as leaders of the state start looking for ways and means to restart the democratic process, what would be weighing on their minds is the question whether people will accept them unless they have solutions to the basic problems haunting the state. Manipur no doubt, is at the crossroads; maybe the PM’s visit and the huge infusion of funds for development could be the start of a fresh process of recovery. This process will have to be free of hiccups or politicking, for the people of Manipur have suffered enough and deserve a chance to enjoy peace.