After 17 months since the ethnic crisis erupted last year in Manipur, a resolution to appeal to the people of state “to shun the path of violence” was made in a meeting of Kuki, Meitei and Naga legislators for the first time in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The bid to hammer out a peaceful solution to the protracted unrest in the state was initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs. As per sources, around 20 legislators from Meitei, Kuki and Naga community took part in the meeting at Khan Market.
Sources familiar with the meeting said eight Meitei MLAs, including four ministers and Speaker Th Satyabrata, four Kuki-Zo-Hmar MLAs, including two ministers, and three Naga MLAs, including one minister attended.
The Meitei MLAs included forest Minister Th Biswajit, Works Minister K Govindas, Law Minister Th Basanta Kumar, Health Minister S Ranjan, Speaker Th Satyabrata, and MLAs K Ibomcha, T Robindro, and Th Radheshyam.
Among the Kuki-Zo-Hmar legislators, textile minister Nemcha Kipgen, tribal affairs Minister Letpao Haokip, and MLAs Ngursanglur Sanate and Haokholet Kipgen were present. Three Naga legislators, including water resource minister Awangbow Newmai and MLAs Losii Dikho and Ram Muivah, also attended.
Sources said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister N Biren Singh did not take part in the meeting.
A release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that “a group of elected members of Manipur Assembly, representing Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei and Naga communities, met in New Delhi today to discuss the current scenario in the state.”
“The meeting unanimously resolved to appeal to the people of the State belonging to all communities to shun the path of violence so that no more precious lives of innocent citizens are lost,” it stated.
The move came after Amit Shah announced a month ago that the Centre is in discussion with both the groups, while stressing that resolving the issue requires dialogue between the Kukis and Meiteis community.
A highly reliable source said the meeting concluded in a cordial atmosphere and resolved to prioritize restoring peace by avoiding violence among the communities. The timing of the next round of talks is yet to be determined.
Source did not disclose whether the meeting was conducted under one roof or in two separate sessions.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement, Kuki Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups, namely the Kuki National Organization (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF) expressed serious consideration of the talks initiated by the Union Home Minister, aimed at fostering dialogue among the involved parties.
They emphasised the need for Kuki-Zo MLAs to attend the meeting as it was an initiative of the Central government.
They added that while the government may talk of peace for Manipur, there must be a Separate Administration in the form of a Union Territory with a Legislature for the Kuki-Zo people for peace to truly return. This, they said, should be the firm stance of the Kuki-Zo MLAs in the meeting.
They further asserted that any meeting between Kuki-Zo and Meitei MLAs would be unacceptable unless the concerns of the Kuki-Zo public are adequately addressed.
The Kuki SoO groups reiterated that Kuki-Zo MLAs will attend the talks only at the invitation of the Ministry of Home Affairs but will not participate in direct discussions with their Meitei counterparts.
They warned against making unfounded allegations regarding their representatives' involvement and promised that Kuki-Zo MLAs would hold a press conference following the talks to inform the public of any significant outcomes.
As per The Print, the joint meeting called by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ended up only exposing the deep schism that still exists between the Meiteis and Kukis.
Instead of holding a joint session to resolve differences between the Meiteis and Kuki communities, as was previously planned, representatives from the MHA—led by AK Mishra—first met separately with Kuki MLAs.
After their meeting, which lasted for over two hours, a separate short meeting was held with the Meitei and Naga MLAs, it stated.
Since the violence broke out on May 3, 2024, more than 220 people, including members of both the Kuki and Meitei communities as well as security personnel, have been killed while more than 50,000 people were displaced.
