Manipur: Kuki-Zo MLAs seek Centre’s roadmap for peace, justice

Days after President's rule was imposed in conflict-stricken Manipur, 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs on Sunday, 16 February, called on the Centre to develop a “comprehensive political roadmap” for peace and justice through a negotiated settlement.

In a statement, the MLAs — seven from the ruling BJP and three from its ally, the Kuki People's Alliance (KPA) — expressed hope that the Government of India would establish such a roadmap. "While acknowledging the Centre's decision to place the Assembly under suspended animation, we remain optimistic that this will lead to peace and justice through a negotiated settlement,” they said.

The MLAs, who have distanced themselves from both the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley and the assembly since the Meitei-Kuki conflict began in May 2023, also urged the Centre to implement time-bound measures to address the ongoing suffering of those affected by the violence and the internally displaced people.

While the MLAs had previously supported calls from Kuki-Zo organisations for a “separate administration”, this issue was not mentioned in Sunday’s statement.

The KPA and the Kuki Zo Council, an umbrella organisation of Kuki-Zo groups, released separate statements criticising BJP leader Sambit Patra’s remarks on maintaining Manipur's territorial integrity.

In response, the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) argued that Patra’s stance on territorial integrity was based on incorrect assumptions regarding illegal migration. "This position overlooks the fact that Manipur is already a partitioned state," they said. The KPA, which withdrew its support for the Biren Singh government in 2023, reiterated its demand for a separate administration for the Kuki community.

The Kuki-Zo Council also emphasised that the Kukis are not separatists. They stated that it was the Meitei community that forcibly separated them by killing and driving them out of Imphal on 3 May 2023.

The Kuki-Zo MLAs expressed renewed hope that the Central government would propose a political roadmap for peace and justice in the wake of President's rule enacted last Wednesday, and the state assembly placed under suspended animation following the resignation of chief minister N. Biren Singh.

“We also look forward to measures with clear timelines to end the suffering of those displaced and affected by the ongoing conflict,” the MLAs added.

The violence, which began in May 2023, saw brutal clashes between the Meitei community in the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo tribal groups in the surrounding hills. The conflict has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced thousands of people.