Manipur’s 10 tribal MLAs plan joint protest in Delhi

Ten tribal MLAs from Manipur plan to hold a joint protest in Delhi in December, demanding the removal of chief minister N Biren Singh and separate administration for their community.

Churachandpur

*Security personnel conduct patrolling in a sensitive area of Manipur. Search operations and area domination were conducted by security forces in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts of the state. (PTI)

Ten tribal legislators from Manipur, including seven from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), plan to hold a joint protest in Delhi in the first week of December, demanding the removal of chief minister N Biren Singh and a separate administration for their community, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday.

The planned protest will mark the first time the 10 MLAs, who have raised these demands separately in the past, will come together at a common platform. According to people aware of the matter, the decision to hold a joint protest in the national capital was taken during a meeting between three of the 10 MLAs, Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and representatives from 25 Kuki groups that have signed the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement held in Churachandpur.

“Individually, we have spoken or written letters about the need to remove the Manipur CM and other demands. The happenings in recent weeks have forced us to come out and speak together to the people and the press. We have decided to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar. Some of the MLAs are already in Delhi. Others will travel to Aizawl and then take a flight to Delhi because we can’t go to Imphal,” one of the MLAs who attended the meeting said on condition of anonymity.

The decision to hold an agitation in Delhi comes against the backdrop of a surge in clashes in the strife-torn state. Manipur has been in the throes of violence for close to 18 months, with the ethnic conflict showing no signs of abating. The cycle of violence and reprisal attacks has prompted the Centre to send more troops and reimpose Afspa in parts of Manipur, where close to 240 people have died.

The 60-member Manipur assembly consists of seven tribal MLAs from the BJP and three Independents. Two of them Letpao Haokip and Nemcha Kipgenare also ministers in the Biren Singh cabinet. These MLAs have skipped all the assembly sessions held since the conflict began, citing security concerns over their travel to the Meitei-dominated Imphal. They did not attend the key meeting held by Biren Singh on Monday. The CM has maintained that the government has assured the tribal MLAs of their safety in Imphal, but they have chosen not to visit the state capital due to pressure from ethnic CSOs.

“Representatives of SoO groups were also present in the meeting. It was important for SoO groups to be there as the CM has been demanding that the ceasefire agreement with them be abrogated. They will, however, not attend the Delhi protest. The ten MLAs will raise our voice collectively,” a second person who attended the meeting said.

The tripartite SoO agreement was signed between the Centre, Manipur government, and 25 Kuki militant groups—17 from the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and eight belonging to the United Peoples Front (UPF) — in August 2008 to end hostilities. The Centre has extended the pact every year since then. It, however, expired earlier this year, and there is no clarity yet on its renewal or abrogation from the central government. In February, the Manipur assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the central government to abrogate the agreement on the grounds of a violation of rules.

Far from any administrative salve to a now fractured society, the fallout of the long-running ethnic hostilities has meant that the Meiteis, who live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, who predominantly live in the hills, have withdrawn to their respective strongholds.

During their planned protest, the tribal MLAs are also likely to share the details of the October 15 meeting between 15 legislators from the state’s Meitei, Kuki-Zo-Hmar and Naga communities and central government representatives in Delhi as part of efforts to broker peace in the region. 

“During the meeting on Wednesday, the MLAs were advised to spell out their stand on all issues and share the details of the meeting that happened with MHA representatives last month. Most importantly, they were also advised to announce their stand to the community if MHA calls them for another round of talks,” the person quoted earlier in the story said.