For the first time in two years, a Meitei BJP MLA made a rare gesture by visiting a Kuki relief camp in Manipur.

In a rare breakthrough after more than two years of ethnic tension in Manipur, BJP MLA and former Rural Development Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh visited Kuki relief camps in the hill districts on Monday, marking one of the first cross-community gestures since the violence erupted in May 2023.

Khemchand, who represents the Singjamei constituency in Imphal West and previously served as Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, has become the first Meitei BJP legislator to step inside a Kuki relief camp since the conflict began. His outreach comes at a sensitive moment, during President’s Rule and just weeks before Christmas.

The MLA began his visit at the Sareikhong Baptist Church, followed by a stop at a relief centre in Litan, Ukhrul district, where he met Kuki families displaced by the prolonged conflict. Over one lakh people remain in relief camps across the state.

During the interaction, Khemchand asked villagers about the hardships they have faced for more than two and a half years. Emphasising the need for rebuilding trust, he said peace and reconciliation must be prioritised above all else.

“Conflicts occur in many places around the world, but we should not let them stop development or block the future,” he told the displaced families.

“With Christmas approaching, we should pray for peace to return. Restricted movement has slowed our progress, and the younger generation is suffering. We should be able to visit each other’s villages without fear.”

He added that while elders may have disagreements, they must think about the children who represent the state’s future.

A close aide explained that Khemchand made the trip in his personal capacity, not as part of a government or party-directed initiative.

The gesture was welcomed by several community leaders from the Tangkhul Naga community who accompanied him. BJP state vice president Hopingson Shimray described it as a “remarkable gesture” at a time when entering each other’s areas remains difficult for many communities.

Former ADC chairman Mark Luithing also praised the initiative, noting that Khemchand is the first leader to revive people-to-people contact since the conflict, which has claimed over 250 lives and displaced thousands. He added that the MLA also visited Chassad Kuki village in Kamjong district, along the Myanmar border.