The northeastern state has been bitterly divided since May 2023, when violence erupted between the mainly Hindu Meitei majority and the largely Christian Kuki community.

The violence displaced tens of thousands of people, many of whom are still living in government-run makeshift camps. “In order to bring life back on track in Manipur, the government of India is making all possible efforts,” Modi told a crowd of thousands in Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated town, on Saturday. “I promise you today that I’m with you. The government of India is with the people of Manipur,” he said, urging “all groups to take the path of peace to realise their dreams.”

Later, speaking in Imphal, the Meitei-majority state capital, Modi announced that the government would fund the construction of 7,000 new homes for families displaced by the conflict. He also appealed for dialogue between the rival communities. “We should strengthen the bridge of brotherhood between the hills and the valley,” he said.

The Hindu nationalist leader last visited Manipur, which borders Myanmar and lies about 1,700km (1,050 miles) from New Delhi, in 2022. During that visit, he inaugurated development projects worth more than $960m, including five highways and a new police headquarters.

Manipur’s former chief minister, N. Biren Singh of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resigned in February after facing criticism for failing to end the bloodshed. Since then, the state of nearly three million people has been under direct rule from New Delhi. Tensions between the Meiteis and Kukis, rooted in disputes over land and government jobs, have long simmered in the region. Rights groups have accused political leaders of deepening divisions for their own gain.

Modi’s trip to Manipur is part of a three-day tour that also includes Assam, which borders Bangladesh, and Bihar, India’s third-most populous state with at least 130 million people. (Aljazeera)