Posers raised over Kuki-Zo MLAs' stand on SA demand
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 16 2025:
Political unease within the Kuki-Zo community has apparently intensified as former BJP MP candidate HS Benjamin Mate publicly questioned the commitment of the 10 Kuki-Zomi-Hmar MLAs, whom he referred to as "suspended", concerning the demand for a Separate Administration (SA) .
In a Facebook post made oh Saturday, Benjamin Mate accused the MLAs of failing to lead the demand with transparency or accountability after making a unilateral declaration in the wake of the crisis that unfolded on May 3, 2023 .
"The suspended Kuki-Zo MLAs, who Unilaterally, declared Separate Administration from Manipur in the wake of ethnic cleansing perpetrated against the Kuki-Zo community, must clarify their stance," Benjamin Mate wrote.
He questioned whether the MLAs truly meant what they had declared Or were "misleading the people" .
He added, "If they are truly serious about their demand, it is high time they stepped forward, led from the front, and stopped hiding behind organisations like KZC, ZC, CoTU, ITLF, and HTC" .
Benjamin tagged all 10 MLAs involved in the demand, which included Nemcha Kipgen, Letpao Haokip, LM Khaute, Vungzagin Valte, Paolienlal Haokip, Haokholet Kipgen, Chinlunthang Letzamang Haokip, and Kimneo Hangshing, calling for a response from the MLAs.
Sharing a screenshot of the post, Thadou leader T Michael Lamjathang Haokip responded on X, formerly Twitter, interpreting Mate s remarks as confirmation of what Thadou leaders have maintained from the beginning that the demand for Separate Administration is a 'false hope' .
"Thadou Were Right: Separate Administration Is a False Hope," wrote Michael Lamjathang, asserting that Thadou leaders had long identified the SA demand as being driven by Kuki SoO militants and their political proxies rather than by genuine public will.
He referred to Benjamin Mate as "the former BJP MP candidate and main face of the SA campaign," and said that his questioning of the MLAs showed that the movement was lacking in leadership and clarity.
"Now even Benjamin Mate...is questioning the 10 Kuki-Zomi-Hmar MLAs: 'If they truly believe in Separate Administration, why hide behind groups like ITLF and CoTU? Why not lead from the front?' .
This proves what Thadous said all along, SA is not about people's will, but militant manipulation.
Truth prevails.
The Thadou stand vindicated," Lamjathang posted.
The development came at a time of political uncertainty and internal community disagreements over the path forward for the Kuki-Zo people, especially in light of the ongoing ethnic conflict and the calls for administrative separation from Manipur.
While several Kuki Zo civil bodies such as the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) have been vocal in pushing the SA agenda, political representatives have often avoided direct confrontation with the government.
On the other-hand, Michael Lamjathang, who is also BJP state spokesperson, requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider the Manipur assembly 's unanimous resolution in February 2024 that called for not extending the controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement signed with Kuki, Zomi and Hmar insurgent groups.
The last deadline to extend the tripartite SoO agreement signed between the two dozen insurgent groups and the Centre and the state government was February 29, 2024.Broadly under the SoO agreement, the insurgents have to follow strict ground rules like not recruiting more militants and not carrying out highway extortion, apart from staying in designated camps with their firearms in jointly monitored locked storages.
"As per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, public order falls under the State List.
On 29 February 2024, the current 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, where the'BJP holds the majority, unanimously resolved against any extension of the SoO agreement with UPF/ KNO by the government of India," Lamjathang said in a letter to PM Modi.
"Ignoring this decision would not only violate the Constitution but also undermine the democratic mandate of the people of Manipur.
I urge the government of India to honour this resolution and uphold the federal principles of our democracy," he said in the letter.
The Thadou leader's house in Kuki-dominant Churachandpur district was attacked twice by armed mobs in 2024.Lamjathang maintains he has been raising awareness about the Thadou community as a distinct tribe, and not; under the Kuki nomenclature amid the ethnic tension in Manipur.
He said it vyould be a mistake to treat the armed groups under the SoO agreement as "partners in peace" .
"Continuing to patronise insurgent groups in the hills of Manipur risks creating man-made, human-triggered volcanoes that will inevitably erupt.
It is time to treat such groups for what they are: militants, not partners in peace," Lamjathang Haokip said in the letter.
If, however, the SoO agreement has to be extended, it should be done only after a popular government is reinstated in Manipur, Lamjathang said, adding any future decision on this [SoO agreement] matter should be taken after a broad-based consultation with all the affected stakeholders, including indigenous groups from both the hill and valley regions, particularly Thadou tribe leaders and community.
Lamjathang alleged the government appears "unable to enforce the agreed ground rules, and [so] any further extension serves no meaningful purpose".
"Mere reduction of designated camps is not a solution; it only amounts to shifting responsibility without addressing the core problem," he said in the letter.
The two dozen Kuki, Zomi and Hmar insurgent groups come under two umbrella groups - the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and the United People's Front (UPF) .
These two representing the others have signed the SoO agreement.
Earlier this month, a member of the Kuki National Army (KNA) which is a signatory to the SoO agreement, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for attacking a police post and killing two commandos in Moreh in January 2024 .
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