The Centre is firmly committed to protecting the state’s territorial integrity and will not accept the Kuki-Zo groups’ demand for a separate administration in Manipur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi said on Thursday.
Devi, who is also a Rajya Sabha lawmaker, was addressing an induction programme of former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Gaigongdin Panmei of Tamenglong Assembly constituency in Tamenglong district as a primary member of the party.
The programme was held at Thambal Shanglen (state party head office), Nityaipat Chuthek, Imphal.
Devi said that since 2023, due to the ongoing ethnic violence, development in the state has been on pause. However, violence and enmity among communities cannot help achieve the goal of “Viksit Bharat, 2047” in Manipur, which is part of the central government’s vision for a developed India.
“On several occasions, the state has been facing issues with territorial boundary and integrity, but central leaders have already taken their stance to protect the territorial and integral boundary of Manipur; the demand for a ‘Separate administration’ within the state of Manipur will never be fulfilled,” Devi said.
Meanwhile, the 10 Kuki-Zo legislators, including seven BJP legislators, have been demanding a ‘separate administration’ within the state of Manipur in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the 10 Kuki-Zo legislators, including seven BJP legislators, have been demanding a ‘separate administration’ within the state of Manipur in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature.
{{/usCountry}}The demand was first made publicly by the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, including late BJP legislator Vungzagin Valte from the Zomi community of Thanlon Assembly constituency, on May 12, 2023, just a few days after the outbreak of the conflict. They have reiterated their demand on multiple occasions, including by submitting a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Valte sustained critical injuries after he was assaulted by a mob in Imphal on May 4, 2023. After around three years of treatment, he died on February 21, 2026. His funeral was held on July 4 at his family’s request, though his body was not accepted and was kept in the mortuary of Churachandpur District Hospital to press the demand for a ‘separate administration’.
The ethnic clashes in Manipur first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have remained separated in the areas they dominate since the ethnic clashes began in May 2023, leaving at least 260 people dead and displacing 60,000.
The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, live largely in the Imphal Valley. The Kukis, predominantly Christian, reside in the hills. The state government has maintained that there are no buffer zones dividing communities in the state, though it has identified certain sensitive areas.
A new government was formed in February, nearly a year after the imposition of President’s Rule. It includes representatives from all three major communities as part of an attempt to maintain ethnic balance.