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Manipur: Kuki-Zo body welcomes PM Modi’s visit, reiterates demand for ‘separate administration’
The Kuki-Zo Council is confident that the visit of PM Modi will give “due recognition to the voices of the Kuki-Zo people”.
The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur on Saturday, his first since the unrest, as “historic and a rare occasion”, nearly four decades after a Prime Minister last set foot in the region.
According to a statement issued by KZC on Wednesday, signed by its chairman and general secretary Henlianthang Thanglet and Thangzamang, respectively, stated that the Kuki-Zo community have endured immeasurable hardships, during the crisis, which left “more than 250 people dead, over 360 churches and places of worship destroyed, more than 7,000 homes burnt, and thousands of others displaced in relief camps”.
“The stark reality is that the Kuki-Zo people have been forcibly separated by the actions and aggression of the majority community in Manipur. Despite these grave circumstances, we continue to uphold our faith in the democratic spirit and leadership of India,” the Kuki body said.
The council emphasised their demand for complete separation from Manipur, seeking a “separate administration” in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature under Article 239A of the Constitution. They said “this demand arises not from convenience, but from necessity for peace, security, and survival of our people.”
KZC is confident that the visit of PM Modi will give “due recognition to the voices of the Kuki-Zo people”.
Hectic preparation in two key locations of the PM’s function is underway in Manipur, with security arrangements in the heart of capital city Imphal and Churachandpur. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has conducted two separate meetings with legislators, one in Raj Bhavan in Imphal, and another at district commissioner’s office in Churachandpur.
Twenty-three BJP legislators, including state party president, attended the Raj Bhavan meeting held on Sunday, along with Ngursanglur Sanate from Tipaimukh (ST), Vungzagin Valte from Thanlon (ST), Letzamang Haokip from Henglep (ST), LM Khaute from Churachandpur (ST), and Paolienlal Haokip from Saikot (ST), along with BJP Churachandpur president Thanglam Haokip. Notably, Chinlunthang, the MLA from Singhat (ST), was absent from the Churachandpur meeting.
