Guwahati: Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh on Tuesday apologised to the people of the state and expressed “regret” for the ethnic violence that has rocked the state ever since May 2023.
He said “sorry” for the unfortunate ethnic clashes but noted that the year ends on an optimistic note and that he hoped that normalcy will return to the state in 2025.
The chief minister told reporters in Imphal: “After seeing the last three to four months’ progress towards peace, I believe that by 2025, normalcy will be restored in the state.”
He regretted: “This entire year has been very unfortunate. I want to say sorry to the people of the state for what has happened till today since May 3 last year. Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I feel regret. I apologise.”
In his New Year’s message, the chief minister, asking all 35 tribes in Manipur to live together in harmony, said: “I want to appeal to all the communities in the state… whatever has happened… You have to forgive and forget the past mistakes and we have to start a new life (towards) a peaceful and prosperous Manipur.”
Urging all communities in the state to maintain peace, the Manipur chief minister said: "I want to appeal to all the communities of the state that whatever happened has happened. We now have to forget past mistakes and have to start a new life. A peaceful Manipur, a prosperous Manipur, we should all live together.”
Reacting to Mr Biren Singh's statement, the Congress questioned why can't Prime Minister Narendra Modi go to Manipur and do the same even though he travels across the country and the world. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the people of Manipur cannot understand their neglect by the prime minister, whom he accused of deliberately avoiding a visit to Manipur.
The violence in Manipur has claimed over 250 lives since May last year, when violence erupted over the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status and the tribal Kukis’ opposition to this.
The Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. The tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent of the population and reside mainly in the hills.
