New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday visit Manipur for the first time since violence broke out in the northeastern state, media reports said.

Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel said the Prime Minister will arrive in the Churachandpur district from Aizawl in Mizoram at 12:30 pm.

The Prime Minister will interact with people who were displaced due to the violent ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities and then head to the state capital Imphal.

Modi will inaugurate projects worth Rs. 1,200 crore in Imphal and address a public function.

Reacting to the Prime Minister's scheduled visit, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, "Manipur is having issues for a long time. It's fine that he (Narendra Modi) is visiting the state. But now 'vote chori' is the main issue in the country. 

"The elections in Haryana and Maharashtra were stolen. We have given proof of 'vote chori' in Karnataka as well. Everywhere people are saying 'vote chor'."

The unrest in the state, which is now under President's rule, is mainly between the Meitei community (majority in the Imphal Valley) and the Kuki-Zo tribal communities (in the hill regions).

Causes /Triggers

Ethnic tensions and identity politics

Demands by some Meitei groups for Scheduled Tribe status, which tribes felt would threaten their traditional privileges.

Land, livelihood, demographics

Competition for land, jobs, and resources. Worries about demographic shifts, and claims by hill communities of marginalization.

Political triggers and mistrust

Court orders, protests, counter‐protests, blockades etc escalated things. Also distrust in government responses and administrative missteps.