Manipur Peace Needs Dialogue Between Communities, Not Force: Kiren Rijiju

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that lasting peace in Manipur will come through dialogue between the state's communities rather than through military means.

Speaking about the continuing conflict in the state, the minister said the Meitei and Kuki communities, as well as the Naga and Kuki communities, need to engage with one another directly. Only such an exchange, he indicated, can lead to an amicable settlement.

His remarks place the emphasis on a political and social resolution to the crisis, with the communities themselves at the centre of any effort to end the violence.

Manipur has been gripped by conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities, and the minister's comments underline the view that a durable solution cannot rest on security measures alone. The involvement of the Naga community, he suggested, is equally important to any settlement.

The statement points to a path in which the communities concerned sit together and work out their differences, rather than relying on force to restore normalcy.