Inviting Kuki-Chin MLAs to attend Assembly session
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 29, 2024 -

LIKE many other issues entwined with the now nearly 15 months long ethnic violence in Manipur, the case of 10 elected representatives of the Kuki-Chin communities in the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly continues to confound the people.

Within days of outbreak of the ethnic conflict after some armed Kuki-Chin men clashed with the Meitei/Meetei following a rally to oppose the latter's demand for recognition as Scheduled Tribe (ST), the 10 Kuki-Chin legislators, seven of whom belong to the ruling party and include two cabinet ministers in the N Biren Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, raised the demand for "a separate administration" for the Kuki-Chin people while contending that the "unabated violence that began on May 3, 2023 perpetrated by majority Meiteis, tacitly supported by existing Government of Manipur against the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi hill tribals has already partitioned the state and effected a total separation" from Manipur.

But none of these Kuki-Chin legislators, namely, Nemcha Kipgen of Saikul AC, Letpao Haokip of Tengnoupal AC, Kimneo Hangshing of Saikul AC, Haokholet Kipgen of Saitu AC, Ngursanglur Sanate of Tipaimukh AC, Vungzagin Valte of Thanlon AC, Letzamang Haokip of Henglep AC, LM Khaute of Churachandpur AC, Paolienlal Haokip of Saikot AC and Chinlunthang Manlun of Singhat AC, have ever shown any inclination towards resigning from their respective membership of the Manipur Legislative Assembly at any given point in time, which would have, otherwise, strengthened their cause.

Instead of relinquishing their membership and standing alongside with people of their own communities, whom they claimed have lost faith in the BJP government led by chief minister N Biren Singh and can no longer imagine "resettling in the Imphal valley" where their lives are not safe anymore; the to Kuki-Chin legislators continue to draw salaries and enjoy other entitled benefits of being elected representatives to a legislative body of the state.

And, no one, including the supposedly "persecuted Kuki-Chin people" as well as the leadership of BJP both in the state and at the centre have bat an eyelid.

Given this background, strong reactions that have come from some quarters to the recent announcement made by chief minister N Bireri that he will personally send invitations to the belligerent 10 Kuki-Chin MLAs for attending the upcoming budget session or sixth session of the Manipur assembly scheduled from July 31 to August 6 are quite natural.

While Maheshwar Thounaojam, national general secretary of Republican Party of India (RPI)-Athawa Ie, has questioned rationale behind inviting the 10 Kuki-Chin MLAs who are openly working to break apart Manipur to attend the state assembly session instead of taking up legal action against them; Communist Party of India-Manipur State Council (CPI-MSC) has asserted that the 10 Kuki-Chin MLAs, who violated the Constitution by openly demanding a separate administration do not deserve to attend the upcoming session of Manipur Legislative Assembly and as such, they should be disqualified either before the commencement or during the session.

Whether the 10 Kuki-Chin MLAs, including two ministers, who stayed away from the last two sessions of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, would accept the invitation to be sent either by the chief minister personally or through the Speaker of the House this time is yet to be known, but one thing we can say for sure is that it is no more within the power of the 10 Kuki-Chin legislators to take a call on attending the session of Manipur Legislative Assembly.

In the last two sessions too, it was not the elected Kuki-Chin representatives who articulated the decision to boycott the assembly session but Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and other Kuki organisations which had not only announced that the Kuki-Chin MLAs would boycott the assembly session but also strongly objected to convening of the assembly session when the situation was not conducive for their elected representatives to attend.

So, take it from us, the sword of Damocles would continue to hang heavy over the heads of all 10 Kuki MLAs, whether they attend the state assembly session this time or not.