ITLF 'feels let down' by Amit Shah
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 10 2023:
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and all Kuki-Zo tribals "feel let down" by Home Minister Amit Shah, said the Kuki leaders' forum in a statement today.
"The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and all Kuki-Zo tribals feel let down by Home Minister Amit Shah for his comments in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday regarding the ethnic conflict in Manipur," read the statement.
This statement of the ITLF came after Union Home Amit Shah, in Lok Sabha, attributed the reason for rising tension between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur to "increasing Kuki population in the State, owing to their exodus from neighbouring Myanmar and started settling here, narcotic trade from Myanmar picked up" etc.
In an apparent response to this, ITLF today said "Mizoram has welcomed more than 40,000 refugees from Myanmar and displaced people from Manipur, and it is still the most peaceful State in India" .
"Three months of violence has led to the deaths of more than 130 Kuki-Zo tribals, the displacement of 41,425 tribal citizens and the complete physical and emotional separation of Meiteis and tribals.
And the best explanation that the Home Minister can come up with is the entry of refugees from Myanmar," said ITLF presenting the Mizoram case.
"The Scheduled Tribe demand by majority community, the Government notification on Forest Reserves which would usurp tribals from their land, and the demonizing of tribals by the CM and radical Meitei intellectuals are the reasons why the deficit grew between Meiteis and tribals, which culminated in the sectarian clashes," claimed ITLF.
Accusing refugees, who are some of the most deprived and helpless sections in any community, of starting a conflict at this scale is just "plain wrong", added ITLF.
"Also, the ITLF is aghast that the Home Minister is still defending Manipur CM Biren Singh, who we consider is the chief architect of the violence," it said.
So many innocent people have died under his watch, and violence continues unabated after three months.
Many of his own Ministers have made submissions to the Central Government saying law and order has completely collapsed in the State.
Despite all this, he is still being feted by the Central Government instead of being sacked, said ITLF appealing to the Union Home Minister to "rise above party politics in dealing with the crisis in Manipur" .