 "Peace returning to Manipur, should build on it and find solutions: PM Modi")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said peace was returning to ethnic violence-hit Manipur and urged the people of the state to build on it to find a solution to the problems there.
In his Independence Day address, the prime minister said that for the past few days reports of peace have been coming from Manipur regularly and the Centre and the state government were making every effort to find a solution to the problems there.
"The nation is with the people of Manipur. The country should take forward the peace process which has been set in motion by the people of Manipur for the past few days. Only peace can lead to a solution," the prime minister said.
More than 150 people have been killed in the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3.
The prime minister said that for the past few weeks the northeast, particularly Manipur, and other parts of the country have witnessed a cycle of violence in which several lives were lost and mothers and sisters had to face loss of dignity.
"But in the last few days, there are reports of peace. The nation is with Manipur," he said at the outset of his 10th consecutive address from the Red Fort.
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Modi said when he speaks of unity then if an incident takes place in Manipur, Maharashtra feels the pain, if Assam experiences flood, then Kerala feels restless.
The Centre has deployed paramilitary forces in Manipur as part of efforts to quell the violence.