Bodies slam Kuki MLAs' call for separate administration
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 13 2023: Following the re-lease of a press statement by 10 Kuki MLAs demanding arrangement for separate administration, many organ-isations and political parties have strongly condemned the move of the MLAs.

Among other organisa-tions, Federation of Haomee (FoH) strongly condemned the demand for separate po-litical administration for the Kuki in Manipur as well as attacking and burning down of worship places.

In a release, FoH secre-tary general Yazing Vicisy stated that the cycle of violence witnessed in the state is fallout of the Tribal Solidarity March on May 3, especially from a particu-lar area that spread to the entire state and made the common people victims.

"FoH opposes and con-demns the destruction of worship places and false propaganda on religious issues," it said.

Addressing a press meet held at Irawat Bhavan, BT Road here Saturday, CPI Manipur State Council state secretary L Thoiren strongly condemned the separate administration demand by the 10 MLAs who had taken the oath under the Constitution to protect and safeguard the territorial in-tegrity of Manipur.

As such, he urged the double-engine government of BJP to make its stand clear on the de-mand, which is clearly an attempt to divide Manipur.

Expressing remorse over PM Modi's silence on the communal clashes in the state, Thoiren urged for all sections of the society to work for protecting the state's integrity', while add-ing that CPI will continue to defend all divisive tactics.

He also urged for setting up a national highway pro-tection force in view of the violence.

Informing that state party leader Dr M Nara will be ta-bling the recent ethnic clashes in Manipur at the national executive meeting scheduled from May 18 to 20, party's Political Affairs Committee leader Singhajit said that PM Modi and Union Home min-ister will be urged to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

The party's MPs at the centre will also visit Manipur to assess the situation and submit a report on the same to the central government, he conveyed.

Meanwhile, Meitei Re-surgence Forum (MReF) has condemned the 10 Kuki MLAs for their joint statement on breaking away from Mani-pur, instead of focussing on restoring peace and normalcy in the state.

In a press meet held at Manipur Press Club here on Saturday, Forum general sec-retary Oinam Doren stated that the current ethnic vi-olence in the state has been pre-planned by Kuki mili-tants under SoO.

The mili-tants have manipulated the masses into burning down the houses of those residing in the hills and surrounding areas, while continuing to incite hatred and violence among the indigenous communities.

He continued that the vio-lence has left victims on both sides and it would be wrong to portray only one side as the victim.

Thus, he urged for all concerned to under-stand the root cause of the violence and work together to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

On the other hand, All Ma-nipur United Clubs' Organi-sation (AMUCO) has rejected and challenged the written demand of the 10 Kuki MLAs for separate administration.

In a release issued by its secretary (publicity) Laishram Khrisnachandra Khuman on Saturday, AMUCO urged the 10 MLAs to clarify whether the press statement on Friday was released on their own vo-lition or under duress, as it is possible the MLAs might state in the future that they did not sign the statement voluntary but to pacify the Kuki people or the Kuki militants.

The release continued that if the Kuki MLAs had indeed made the demand for a sep-arate administration out of their own volition, they will carry the blame of dividing Manipur.

It would also val-idate the speculation that the communal riots, which began from May 3, were all pre-planned.

There have been many ethnic/communal clashes in India and Manipur as well, but there has never an instance of MLAs belong-ing to the same community/ group demanding a separate administration till date.

AMUCO continued: "It would not be wrong to say that the 10 Kuki MLAs are neglecting their duty to re-store peace and normalcy in the state because of their selfish interests and blatantly disrespecting the many peace committees jointly formed by leaders of various com-munities.

During the ethnic clashes, houses and prop-erties belonging to both the Meitei and Kuki communities were burned down, not to mention the many precious lives lost during the violence.

It is not just the Kuki corn-munity whose houses were burned down and its peo-ple killed.

Even now, people from the Meitei community account for the majority of the displaced people staying at relief camps compared to the Kuki.

"The demand for a sepa-rate administration by the 10 MLAs is not only meant to infuriate the people but will likely lead to more violence.

Thus, the central and the state governments should initiate appropriate action against the MLAs, as per the law of the land.

Political parties must also take action including making it clear whether the MLAs took the decision on their own or a reflection of the party's agenda," it main-tained.

AMUCO then appealed to the people to stand united against the demand of the 10 Kuki MLAs for a separate administration.

World Meetei Council (WMC) also condemned the statement issued by the 10 MLAs of Manipur belonging to the Chin-Kuki tribes on May 12.In a release, WMC said that the communal riot was pri-marily due to unprovoked brutal attack by Chin-Kuki people along with the armed Kuki militants against the in-nocent Meetei living in the five districts of Manipur.

The innocent Meetei would never thought even in their dreams that the Chin-Kukis who are living together for many years could commit such heinous crime against them.

It continued that the MLAs' statement deliberately ig-nore the crimes that their people had committed, while endorsing the act of atroci-ties and violence committed against the innocent Meeteis.

The MLAs also shirked their responsibility to calm down and soothe the minds of peo-ple, but acted in the most communal manner by de-fending and approving the crimes committed by the people they represent.

The release went on to say that the MLAs played the victim card by claiming that Manipur government had failed to protect their peo-ple, whereas the data and sequence of the communal riot show the true picture.

By their contemptible action, they (MLAs) had forfeited the dignity, honour and the man-date to be the leaders of the state of Manipur.

"They cannot shirk the re-sponsibility for the mayhem that Manipur had witnessed where more than 70 innocent lives were lost.

Therefore, they should resign from the membership of Legislative Assembly of Manipur im-mediately," the Council de-manded, while urging the central and state govern-ments to initiate necessary legal actions against these 10 MLAs.

"They should be booked under National Security Act for their connivance with the perpetrators so that the people in the country and Manipur in particular should remember that nobody is above the law of the land," WMC stated.

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