Meitei Alliance points out "root-cause" of crisis to PM
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 15 2025:
The Meitei Alliance submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently calling for his intervention to resolve the Manipur crisis.
Submitted on September 13 during the PM's visit to Manipur, the memorandum pointed out the "root cause" of the conflict.
In the memorandum, the Meitei Alliance pointed out that PS Haokip, a Burmese-origin leader of KNA/KNO, had authored a book titled Zalengam in the late 1990s - openly advocating for a Kuki-exclusive homeland (Kukiland), a Kuki lebensraum, by breaking up territorial integrity of Manipur.
The fact that the KNA/KNO was formed in Burma in 1988 to pursue this objective, and later shifted its base to Manipur, underlines the cross-border nature of their agenda, it said.
"It is of grave concern that militant groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with the Government, particularly the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF) have been directly involved in the violence.
This reality has undermined trust in both State and Central institutions.
Their involvement in the violence needs to be looked at in the context of what was advocated in the Zalengam book," said the Meitei Alliance.
Its demands as stated in the memorandum have been reproduced below--
1) Recognize and address the root causes of the crisis, including cross-border militancy, misuse of SoO agreements, poppy cultivation and drug trafficking, and demographic manipulation
2) Review and terminate any further extension of the SoO agreements with UPF and KNO who are found to be complicit of violence, cross-border terrorism and broken ground rules
3) Uphold the rule of law, without appeasing any group/ s or community, and restore public trust in State and National institutions
4) Implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to identify and address the challenge of illegal immigration that has significantly altered demographic balance of Manipur
5) Protection of Indigenous Peoples' Rights: We urge Constitutional protection of the Meitei community through inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list and strict enforcement of land laws
6) Remove "Any Kuki Tribe" (AKT) from the Scheduled Tribes list, as it has enabled misuse of Constitutional provisions, and undermined the rights of genuine indigenous groups
7) Facilitate the safe and dignified return of displaced persons to their original homes, provide financial support for their house and livelihood to ensure their security and social reintegration
8) Reopen all National Highways and restore the full freedom of movement of people and goods across the State, as guaranteed under the Constitution of India.
No State can be held hostage by extremist elements or Kuki militant groups dictating who may or may not travel on National Highways.
We therefore urge the immediate removal of all buffer zones and restrictions to ensure unhindered, safe, and equal access for every citizen
9) Convert all announced funding into targeted grants (not loans) for rebuilding infrastructure, restoring livelihoods, with special focus on youth, women, and vulnerable communities
10) Safeguarding Manipur's territorial integrity - The people of Manipur remain firm in their resolve that the territorial and administrative integrity of the State must remain non-negotiable.
Any arrangement that threatens to divide the State or weaken its historical unity will not be acceptable to the people
11) Strengthen governance and development by ensuring equitable growth throughout the State and empowering the State Government with greater autonomy in law and order matters to ensure effective governance.
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