“We have no inhibition in socialising over a bowl of soup or a cup of tea or coffee; but thereafter it is ‘thus far and no further for us’. We have our long-standing demands and we are firm on pursuing those”, important Kuki and Naga leaders told IPA when asked about the meeting the Union home ministry held in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 15 with Manipur MLAs representing the Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei and Naga communities in the strife-torn state. The brief statement of the ministry on the meeting called it a quest for peace but it was very economical on details. The statement was silent on the absence of chief minister N Biren Singh from the meeting. The Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei and Naga MLAs were to meet together but that did not materialise. The ministry had to agree to a separate meeting for the Kuki-Zo-Hmar MLAs Thus, it turned out to be a joint meeting of only the Meitei and Naga MLAs. According to informed political quarters, 19 BJP MLAs, out of a total of 30 plus, have demanded from the party top brass that the incumbent chief minister be replaced. A majority of them are Meitei MLAs. Given this context, the party high command felt the chief minister, who is a Meitei leader of standing, should better skip. Asked about the separate meeting, in contravention of the ministry’s objective of a joint sitting, the Kuki leaders told this correspondent there was just no question of participation along with the Meitei representatives. For too long they have been indifferent to us, for too long they have dominated over us. Also interesting was their reaction when told about the revolt by over 50 per cent of the BJP MLAs against Biren Singh, they said : “We are not bothered ; we have no trust in the chief minister. “He has been ignoring us all along”.

The Nagas have a vastly different take. Their apex outfit United Naga Council has listed from time to time atrocities committed on them both in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and the hills inhabited in good numbers by the Kuki-Zo people. UNC has also pleaded with the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo communities to restrain themselves from attacking the Nagas, their residences and properties in the Imphal Valley and the peripheral hill areas. The Meiteis, the Nagas and the Kuki-Zos are the principal communities of Manipur. The Nagas opted for a neutral position since the ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos broke out on March 3, 2023. Their stand is clear. “The Union government may be attempting to solve the conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis; let them do so. But, under no circumstances our land, which really is our ancestral land, should be compromised by giving the same to the Kukis. Also, we are firmly against giving ST status to the Meiteis. We do not consider the Kukis as indigenous people; they came years ago from what was then Burma, that later became Myanmar”, United Naga Council’s general secretary Vareiyo Shatsang told IPA. UNC president Ng Lorho had earlier gone on record saying for the Nagas the priority remained follow-up action and implementation of the Framework Agreement reached with New Delhi on August 3, 2015. Lorho had also emphasised that they were not against either the Kukis or the Meiteis.

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Asked about the meeting in New Delhi on October 15, Shatsang suggested that the Centre should involve civil society organisations (CSOs) and student outfits in a big way with its peace efforts. Manipur MLAs have no credibility ; they may be people’s representatives de jure but de facto they are not. Among the established CSOs, mention may be made of UNC, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity and Kuki Inpi. The last mentioned CSO is the traditional form of government of the tribal Kuki people, made up of clan chiefs and village chiefs. There are several student organisations which are known for their credibility and which are doing a good job. The peace process efforts will have credibility if they are asked to contribute to the deliberations. In fact, representatives of CSOs and student outfits should be asked to enlist the cooperation of the two warring sides.