India, March 22 -- Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh stated that the government's move to hold talks with the Kuki Zo Council is the first step toward removing the trust deficit between the two communities in the state.

"It is also a step toward bridging the gap and fostering peace," he said. The Chief Minister was speaking to the media in Imphal on Sunday following his meeting with representatives of the Kuki-Zo Council in Guwahati on Saturday.

He noted that it is a positive development that the Kuki Zo Council is willing to hold talks after almost three years. He was speaking in the context of the closed-door meeting in Guwahati, though he did not elaborate on the details of the discussions.

Yumnam Khemchand clarified that there ...