Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, in his inaugural speech to lawmakers just a day into his tenure, declared that quelling unrest and normalizing life in the ethnically charged state is a duty no single group can shoulder alone.
During the assembly session, he evoked memories of the 1993 Kuki-Naga bloodbath, which killed over 1,000, terming it an unforgivable blot on the state’s history. Singh advocated relentless vigilance to safeguard against future outbreaks.
“It’s everyone’s job to restore tranquility,” he stated firmly, appealing for collaborative bridges over the chasm of distrust impeding free travel and homecomings for the uprooted.
Praising opposition support for peace-building measures, the 61-year-old BJP stalwart from the Meitei community noted the violence pitting Meiteis against Kuki-Zos since May 2023, under President’s Rule imposed on February 13 last year.
Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata subsequently adjourned the 12th Assembly’s seventh session without a fixed date. Singh, a two-time winner from Singjamei in Imphal West (2017, 2022), held the Speaker’s chair from 2017-2022 and later became a minister in N. Biren Singh’s second term after BJP’s 2022 triumph.
The Union government cleared the path for an NDA regime under Singh by revoking President’s Rule Wednesday. With this fresh mandate, Manipur faces the pressing task of reconciliation. Singh’s emphasis on unity resonates, yet translating words into healing actions will define the government’s legacy.