The self-rule ultimatum of ITLF
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: November 17, 2023 -

IT is unfathomable how two communities, who had lived through the chequered history, facing the ups and downs of life together, could turn into sworn enemies overnight.

But this is exactly what has happened to the Meitei/Meetei and Kuki-Chin communities in the tiny northeastern Indian state of Manipur. After the May 3 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised by All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM) against the High Court directive given to the state government for sending recommendation to the Centre for recognition of Meiteis/Meeteis as scheduled tribe (ST) turned violent in Churachandpur district, the fraternal bonding between the two communities has never been the same.

The violence that started from Churachandpur district soon spread to other Kuki-Chin dominated areas, where houses and properties of Meiteis/Meeteis were targeted, forcing people in the valley to retaliate.

In place of the mutual co-operation extended in times of trouble and the social camaraderie of partaking in each other's festivities that were witnessed down the years, there is mutual mistrust and sheer hatred of an inexplicable kind between the two communities today.

Apart from baying for each other's blood, the two warring communities are at loggerheads over everything.

So, on the same day, when Meitei/Meetei people in the valley skipped the celebration of their most cherished Ningol Chakkouba festival for the 'first time in the history of the state in memory of all those who have lost lives and got displaced in the over six months long ethnic violence, Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) organized amass rally against the alleged "atrocities on Kuki-Zo tribals" in Churachandpur district and announced that they will set up "our self-government irrespective of whether the Centre recognises it or not" within a couple of weeks if nothing had been done regarding their demand for a separate ad administration.

Although the movement for creation of a Kuki homeland or Zale'ngam dated back to late 1980s when the first and largest of the Kuki-Chin militant groups, Kuki National Organisation (KNO) came into being; the demand for a separate administration, which is being seen by many political analysts as a step towards achieving Kuki homeland or Zele'ngam, was first raised by 10 MLAs belonging to Kuki-Chin community within days of outbreak of the current conflict between the Meitei/Meetei and Kuki-Chin communities.

Apart from maintaining that "As the state of Manipur has miserably failed to protect us, we seek to the union of India a separate administration under the constitution of India and live peacefully as neighbours with the state of Manipur," what the separate administration they are demanding would look like has never been spelled out in clear cut terms.

The 10 MLAs, seven of whom belong to the ruling party BJP and include two cabinet rank ministers, had also subsequently petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking creation of posts similar or equivalent to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) for the efficient administration in five hill districts inhabited by people belonging to Kuki-Chin community.

Interestingly, none of these elected representatives of Kuki-Chin community have had ever shown any inclination towards resigning from their membership of the Manipur Legislative Assembly at any point of time despite claiming that violence that erupted on May 3 was tacitly supported by the government and they can no longer live in Manipur.

With the Government of India already acknowledging time and again the nexus of militancy, narcotics and illegal infiltration from across the international border as the main factor for fuelling the current conflict in Manipur and even ordering National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe into activities of some Kuki militant groups under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement for their role in the current unrest, ITLF may have known already what would be the response to the ultimatum of setting up a "self-government" in areas dominated by Kuki-Chin community if the Centre doesn't address its demand for a separate administration within two weeks.