Even as Manipur Chief Minister Nonthombam Biren said, he is in touch with the 10 MLAs from Kuki-Zomi tribes who have been demanding a “Separate Administration” from the State of Manipur as soon as the violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi tribes and Meiteis erupted on May 3, they said that they do not have any intention to communicate with the Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren.
According to reports, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren who was in New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on August 24 that he is in touch with the 10 MLAs from the Kuki-Zomi tribes and would provide adequate security for them to attend the Assembly session slated for August 29 in Imphal.
“I have told the MLAs that I will provide them with security and that we must work together to restore normalcy. I have also spoken to the civil society organisations in Imphal (Meitei groups) and said that the MLAs should not be stopped from visiting the valley (Imphal) for work. The MLAs must join work immediately. Also, let me reiterate there can be no division of Manipur,” the report quoted the Chief Minister as saying.
“The MLAs and Ministers, we are old friends, I am talking to them, I told them we cannot be separated. We have been together all these years and will be together in future as well. Only the illegal migrants cannot be accommodated,” the Chief Minster said.
Chief Minster Biren said the violence that started on May 3 was likely pre-planned. He said to stop “illegal migration” from Myanmar; the State has sought more Central forces for the speedy fencing of the 398-km porous international border.
CM Biren said they would seek more time, beyond September 30, from the Centre to complete the process of recording the biometrics of illegal immigrants lodged at a detention centre in Imphal. Around 2,800 illegal immigrants from Myanmar were detected after the State government initiated a drive in March 2023. Most of the undocumented Kuki immigrants are said to have fled to Manipur after a military coup in neighbouring Myanmar in February 2021. He said he wants to deport the immigrants through constitutional means.
Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren, who has been accused by tribal groups of selectively targeting Kukis in the name of screening immigrants and launching a crackdown against drugs, said, “When we started the process to identify immigrants, I formed a committee. The chairperson of that committee is Letpao Haokip, a Kuki MLA. I am only trying to get illegal immigrants deported legally.”
Justifying the War on Drugs campaign, CM Biren is quoted as saying, “The State government is not against anybody. I was compelled to start the war on drugs in 2018 as I am the gatekeeper of India since Manipur shares border with Myanmar…. thousands of acres of poppy cultivation were destroyed, around 2,800 people were arrested. We had to launch a crackdown on drugs as Manipur is the gatekeeper of the golden triangle. It was the government’s duty to stop drugs. I want to reiterate that the government is not against Kukis.”
Elaborating on the violence being pre-planned, CM Biren said the tribal solidarity rally was organised to protest a High Court order but the State government never concurred with the court’s recommendation to include the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list.
“There was no reason for violence. Had we agreed for ST demand then there would have been a reason. We cannot take the decisions unilaterally, there are 34 tribes in Manipur,” CM Biren said.
“Police records show that the first violent attack happened at 10.30 am on May 3, just as the rally started. … Our government had just started capturing the biometrics of outsiders and found over 2000 in just a week. This caused ripples. The attacks started as soon as the rally began. This was work of militants and illegal immigrants,” Biren said.
He said around 1,000 police weapons were looted from the hill districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal and around 3,000 weapons from valley areas. “We have launched an operation and around 1,200 weapons have been recovered,” he added.
Having said these among others Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren appeals the 10 MLAs of which seven are from his own ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two are from Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) and one Idependent.
However, the 10 MLAs from Kuki-Zomi tribes refute CM Biren’s claims and promises to provide security for them. They further clarify that they have not been in touch with Chief Minster Nongthombam Biren since the oubreak of the communal violence in May 2023.
“At this politically critical juncture, we do not have any intention to communicate with CM N Biren Singh,” the MLAs said in a statement. “His claim of communicating with the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar MLAs may be a ploy to sow seeds of mistrust and disunity between the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar MLAs and their people.”
In the statement issued on Friday (August 25), the MLAs noted that Vungzagin Valte, a Kuki MLA from the BJP and an adviser to Singh on tribal affairs, had been beaten up and “left to die by Meitei extremist” in Imphal on May 4 while returning from a meeting at the official bungalow of the Chief Minister.
The MLAs highlighted that so far no enquiry or arrest has been made, nor any progress of investigation is reported till today, and they do not want to repeat and face the same fate that Vungzagin Valte had underwent.
“Of late, Imphal Valley has become a ‘Valley of Death’ for the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people…Even the identity of paramilitary personnel on duty are not spared, they were checked and verified by the so-called Meira Paibis,” the statement added. “Our official quarters and private residences are either looted, attacked or burned by mobs.”
The 10 Kuki-Zomi MLAs in the statement mentioned that they have submitted on August 16, 2023 a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, demanding a Separate Chief Secretary and Police Chief for the affected Hill Districts as temporary measures pending the ongoing political dialogue of SOO groups – KNO-UPF with the Government of India.
The MLAs once again raised their demand for a separate administration for the community “within the purview of the Indian Constitution in order to restore permanent peace and settlement”.
In the prevailing context, it may be mentioned that the State Cabinet had to recommend the date for convening the assembly session for the second time after the House could not meet on August 21 as no notification was issued by the Raj Bhavan despite the cabinet’s earlier recommendation.
The Kuki-Zomi MLAs, including seven MLAs of ruling BJP, had expressed their inability to attend the assembly session as the ethnic violence in the state continued.
Notably, Nemcha Kipgen, one of the signatories of the statement, on August 25 separately wrote to the Speaker of the Assembly saying that she cannot attend the session next week.
“I have consulted with security professionals who strongly recommend that I exercise caution and refrain from attending the session due to the volatile law and order situation in Imphal,” the BJP MLA said in a letter.
Despite Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren’s all-out efforts to have the Kuki-Zomi MLAs attended the one-day Monsoon session (fourth session) of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 29, the Assembly session would be without them.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
