Imphal: The Kuki-Zo tribal organisations in Manipur have declared that their MLAs will abstain from participating in the formation of the new government.
In a statement, Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) General Secretary Khaikhohauh Gangte announced that a joint meeting involving eight Kuki-Zo tribal organisations and their district units was held on Friday. During the meeting, it was resolved that no Kuki-Zo MLA would engage in any form of activity related to the establishment of a new popular government in the state.
“Under no circumstances shall the Kuki-Zo people compromise our ancestral land, culture, identity, and political, social and economic rights. This resolution of Friday’s meeting is the collective political will and aspiration of the Kuki-Zo people and is binding upon all Kuki-Zo representatives and community organisations,” the statement said.
The General Secretary stressed that all concerned must adhere strictly to the resolution passed at Friday’s meeting, both in principle and in practice.
Currently, there are ten MLAs from the Kuki-Zo community, all of whom have been boycotting assembly sessions since the outbreak of violence on May 3, 2023.
Kuki-Zo tribal organisations have persistently advocated for a separate administration with legislative powers, equivalent to a Union Territory. This demand has received strong backing from all ten MLAs, including seven affiliated with the BJP.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh who represents the Singjamei constituency in Imphal West district, noted that security forces have been actively conducting search operations to recover illegal arms and ammunition as part of peace-restoration measures.
The 61-year-old legislator stated that the central government has undertaken multiple steps to address the ethnic tensions that began on May 3, 2023, and have persisted for over two years.
“Among the significant measures taken to restore peace and normalcy in the state, security forces have been conducting search operations to recover illicit arms and ammunition,” the Meitei community leader said.
He further mentioned that substantial quantities of arms and ammunition were seized over the past month from various valley districts, and a major cache was recently discovered in the hill districts.
(inputs from IANS)