Manipur Crisis: "Let Us Pray Barriers Are Removed," Says Khemchand in Christmas Appeal
Khemchand said that Lord Jesus Christ is known as the "Prince of Peace," and everyone should pray to the Lord for a peaceful Manipur
Guwahati: Continuing his goodwill mission to restore harmony among the communities in trouble-torn Manipur, Metei leader and former Rural Development Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Friday attended Christmas celebrations and asserted that there is no other way to resolve the present ethnic crisis in Manipur except peace.
Appealing that let us pray that this Christmas brings peace in the state, Khemchand, while addressing a Christmas gathering organized by the Liangmei Nagas of Namdilong village under Kanglatongbi in Imphal West district, bordering Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district, told reporters, “The only way forward in Manipur today is peace and dialogue.”
Khemchand said that Lord Jesus Christ is known as the "Prince of Peace," and everyone should pray to the Lord for a peaceful Manipur. “People from both Meitei and Kuki communities have been suffering for the last two years as they couldn't enter each other’s areas. I hope after this Christmas, Lord Jesus Christ will remove the barriers, and both sides can enter each other’s areas," he said.
He said that Manipur is made by 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 Mr Khemchand, a Taekwondo Black Belt 4th Dan from Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Academy, Seoul, in South Korea.
The BJP MLA was accompanied by his spouse, Y. Joybala Devi, during the Christmas celebration. The couple joined the dance of Naga tribals performed as part of the Christmas celebration.
Over 260 people died in the Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes, which broke out in May 2023 and rendered thousands homeless. Over 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are languishing in various relief camps across the state. It is significant that Khemchand was the first Meitei MLA to have visited two Kuki villages of Litan and Chassad in the Ukhrul and Kamjong districts after the May 2023 violence and met Kuki IDPs recently.
Khemchand said that Nagas and Kukis had 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 36 communities residing in the state have been fighting together to save Manipur from external aggression.
