Narco-terrorism popular among COCOMI, CM Biren: KIM
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 05 2023:
In a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister on Saturday, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) said narco-terrorism is a term that has gained popularity in Manipur among COCOMI, a Meetei civil society organisation, and chief minister N Biren Singh.
The term has been levelled against the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF), both Kuki umbrella organisations that are under Suspension of Operations (SoO) with the government since 2008, the KIM memorandum said adding that Kuki people are victims of the ongoing ethnic clash.
According to the KIM, the peace dividends of SoO are self-evident in the hills but both the CSO and Government of Manipur are championing its abrogation.
The reason, because SoO talks with government and a political settlement by way of Territorial Council albeit within the state of Manipur would reinforce existing Constitutional protection of the minority tribal ownership of land, which constitutes over 90 percent of the total area of the state.
The gripe of the Meetei people that less than 10 percent of the state land for 53 percent of the population in the valley is unfair is misleading as land carrying capacity of the lesser 10 percent is greater than the entire 90 percent that comprises vast ranges of hills which inhabitable besides being unsuitable for cultivation.
Life in the alluvial valley is agriculturally easier, wieldy and exponentially profitable, the KIM said in the memorandum.
Overwhelmingly favourable, too is maximised government's spending on infrastructure and development concentrated in the valley.
Besides, notwithstanding 53 percent of the populace wield 40 seats of the legislative assembly with eight plus one (CM's seat) out of the 12 cabinet seats are for the valley people.
However, there is no compunction about this skewed representation, and so, they, who already have Scheduled Caste 17 percent and OBC 29 percent affirmative benefits also want ST's 7 percent reservation meant for tribals.
The demand, however, is not only for jobs benefits, but also to access lands in the hills.
In a nutshell, tribal lands, which ST would constitutionally safeguard and the Peace Rally on May 3 in the hill districts to oppose Meetei's ST demand triggered the ethnic clash, it maintained.