'Manipur Waiting for Peace,' Says RSS Chief in First Remarks After Elections

RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat was speaking at an RSS programme in Nagpur when he made these remarks.

Bhagwat was speaking at an RSS programme in Nagpur when he made these remarks.

(Photo: Namita Chauhan/The Quint)

"Manipur has been waiting for peace for the last one year. There was peace in Manipur 10 years ago. It felt like gun culture had finished there. But the state has suddenly seen violence. It is important to resolve the conflict as a priority," said Mohan Bhagwat, the current Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in his first remarks after the conclusion of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Bhagwat was speaking at an RSS programme in Nagpur when he made these remarks.

Since 3 May last year, Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis. According to official estimates, more than 150 people have died in the conflict so far, but the real figure is feared to be much higher.

Tejashwi Yadav reacted to Bhagwat's statement regarding Manipur, saying the RSS Sarsanghchalak's remarks have come "late."

“PM has always been silent, not just on Manipur, but also on farmers, wrestlers who were molested... He (Mohan Bhagwat) spoke but it's late,” the former Bihar deputy chief minister was quoted by PTI as saying.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi also reacted to Bhagwat's statement, saying, “I do not expect Prime Minister Modi to pay any attention to the words of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Prime Minister Modi will avoid Manipur, misuse law enforcement agencies, and try to bend the Indian Constitution.”

You can follow The Quint's coverage of the Manipur violence here. Our documentary on how internally displaced Manipuris have been surviving in relief camps for more than a year is attached below.