TSA rebuffs KIM
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 28 2024:
Sharply responding to a statement of the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) on February 24, the Thadou Students' Association (TSA) has clarified that Thadou tribe has never ever been a constituent body of KIM.
The clarification was issued in connection with KIM's statement about the amalgamation of "non-existent" Thadou Tribe Council (TTC) Churachandpur and Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) and "re-inclusion of one of its cognate tribes, Thadou in the constituent body of KIM", according to a press release issued by Nguljapao Lhoujem, vice president (Admn), TSA-GHQ.
Calling the statement a desperate attempt to mislead the community, TSA asserted that the question of re-inclusion of Thadou in KIM does not arise as Thadou tribe has never been a part of KIM.
It further reiterated that apex body of Thadou tribe, Thadou Tribe Council was renamed from Thadou National Council (TNC) in 1992 and to Thadou Inpi (TI) in 2015 at the Thadou Conclave Delhi and the Thadou Tribe Council (TTC) ceased to exist since then.
Therefore, there is no Thadou body called Thadou Tribe Council.
TSA also pointed out that it had issued a media statement on January 12, 2024 denouncing the reported formation of TTC in Churachandpur by some vested interests.
It went on to add that Thadou Inpi, apex body of the tribe, had declared at the Thadou Conclave Delhi in 2015 that Thadou tribe and Thadou bodies under the apex body Thadou Inpi is not under Kuki Inpi.
In this regard, TSA maintained that the above declaration at Thadou Conclave Delhi is still valid and will continue to be so.
Notably, the TSA pointed out that the controversial term 'Kuki' may be applicable only to the new tribe of so-called 'Any Kuki Tribe' that "came to existence out of nowhere in Manipur only in 2003" while adding that the matter needs a proper scrutiny by all concerned.
Maintaining that Kuki Inpi is not an apex body of cognate tribes, TSA stated that it does not have a single constituent tribe body in it other than the controversial 'Any Kuki Tribe' itself and Kuki organisations.
Asserting that Thadou tribe cannot be a part of "Kuki" or Kuki Inpi, TSA maintained that Kuki Inpi and other Kuki organisations should stop trying to interfere in the affairs of Thadou tribe by issuing misleading statements that seek to falsely portray Thadou tribe as under the so-called Kuki tribe (Any Kuki Tribe) or Kuki Inpi.
Asserting that the term 'Thadou-Kuki' is a name imposed on the Thadou, TSA further stated that it should not be used to refer to Thadou tribe.
Thus, TSA urged all members of Thadou community and others in Manipur and elsewhere not to be misled but remain vigilant of anti-social, anti-Thadou elements and their activities.