RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Arrives in Imphal on Three-Day Peace Mission Amid BJP's Bid to Revive Government in Strife-Torn Manipur

Imphal, November 20, 2025 – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat touched down at Imphal's Bir Tikendrajit International Airport this morning, marking his first visit to Manipur since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023 that has claimed over 250 lives and displaced tens of thousands. The three-day sojourn, spanning November 20 to 22, is being viewed as a pivotal outreach for communal reconciliation between the Meitei majority and Kuki-Zo tribal communities, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensifies behind-the-scenes maneuvers to cobble together a new state government after months under President's Rule.

Bhagwat's arrival, greeted by a low-key contingent of RSS pracharaks and local BJP functionaries, sets the stage for a series of closed-door interactions aimed at fostering unity in a state fractured along ethnic lines. Sources close to the RSS indicate that the Sarsanghchalak will prioritize the organization's "Panch Parivartan" (five-fold change) initiative—encompassing personal, family, societal, national, and global transformations—tailored to Manipur's context of healing and rebuilding.

Over the next 72 hours, Bhagwat is slated to engage with tribal leaders from hill districts like Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, youth groups in Imphal Valley, academics at Manipur University, and women self-help collectives. "The emphasis will be on dialogue, not directives—listening to grievances and underscoring shared Indic values to bridge divides," an RSS insider told reporters at the airport, requesting anonymity. Evening shakha sessions at RSS headquarters in Thangmeiband are also on the cards, where Bhagwat is expected to address over 500 swayamsevaks on the theme of "Manipur: From Conflict to Cohesion."

This visit coincides with the RSS's centenary year celebrations, lending it symbolic weight as the parent organization of the BJP seeks to project a narrative of ideological stewardship over political expediency. Preparations were evident across Imphal, with saffron banners and welcome arches dotting key thoroughfares, though security has been ramped up with CRPF deployments to preempt any disruptions from ongoing Meitei-Kuki tensions.

Bhagwat's presence adds an undercurrent of RSS endorsement to the BJP's delicate political calculus in Manipur, where the party holds 32 seats in the 60-member assembly but has struggled to form a stable coalition since former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's resignation in September amid the violence's fallout. The state has limped along under central rule imposed on February 13, 2025, following the collapse of the BJP-NPP (National People's Party) alliance, which buckled under ethnic pressures.

Senior BJP leaders, including national general secretary B.L. Santhosh, have been shuttling to Imphal in recent weeks, holding closed-door huddles with the party's 29 MLAs—including Singh—and independents to gauge support for a "popular government." Speculation peaked after Governor Anusuiya Uikey's meetings with BJP legislators on November 17, where discussions reportedly centered on floor tests and potential alliances. However, Kuki-Zo MLAs—key to any majority—have firmly rebuffed overtures, reiterating demands for a separate Union Territory (UT) with legislature for tribal areas during talks with BJP emissaries last week. "No decision to join any new government without addressing our UT aspirations," stated a Kuki Inpi spokesperson, underscoring the impasse.

The BJP's national president J.P. Nadda had planned a November 21 visit but called it off abruptly yesterday, citing "scheduling conflicts," fueling whispers of internal caution amid fragile negotiations. Party insiders suggest Bhagwat's intervention could serve as an informal mediator, leveraging RSS's sway over BJP cadres to nudge fence-sitters toward reconciliation. "It's not political horse-trading; it's about restoring normalcy so governance can resume," a BJP source in Delhi clarified, while opposition voices like the Congress decry it as "RSS micromanagement of state affairs."

Since the 2023 Meitei-Kuki clashes—sparked by demands for Scheduled Tribe status for the valley-dwelling Meiteis—Manipur has seen sporadic violence, with over 60,000 displaced and hill-valley blockades persisting. Bhagwat's last pre-conflict visit in 2022 had focused on shakha expansion; this time, it's a high-wire act to revive the RSS's footprint in a polarized terrain. Civil society groups, including the All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM), have welcomed the outreach but urged tangible steps like disarmament and rehabilitation.

As Bhagwat settles into his itinerary with an inaugural meeting at the RSS Bhawan, eyes in Imphal remain fixed on whether his soft-power diplomacy can thaw ethnic ice and pave the way for BJP's political revival. With assembly polls looming in 2027, failure here could ripple through the Northeast, testing the RSS-BJP ecosystem's resilience in India's most volatile frontier.