Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the top priority of the BJP-led central government is to establish peace in ethnic conflict-hit Manipur.

Addressing a public meeting in Imphal, Shah said this Lok Sabha election was a fight between forces trying to break up Manipur and forces keeping Manipur united.

The senior BJP leader alleged that there are attempts to infiltrate the northeastern state to change its demographics.

“Involving all communities and establishing peace in Manipur without destroying the state is the top priority of the Narendra Modi government,” Mr Shah said.

On May 3 last year, ethnic clashes broke out in the hills of Manipur, killing at least 219 people. At that time, a “tribal unity march” was organized in the hills to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

He added that when the fortunes of the Northeast and Manipur change, the fortunes of the country will also change.

Mr Shah appealed to people to vote for the BJP candidates in Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituencies.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)