Our people have lost faith in the BJP-led government: Manipur MLAs tell Amit Shah

 No central minister has visited the state since the unrest began on May 3 following a solidarity rally called by the ten hill districts opposing the ST demand of the majority Meitei community

Umanand Jaiswal, TT, Guwahati, 18.05.23 : Ten Manipur MLAs, belonging to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar communities, in a memorandum to Union home minister Amit Shah have claimed their people have “lost faith” in the BJP-led state government and can “no longer” think about “resettling in the Valley” following the violence that erupted on May 3.

The ten MLAs, seven of whom are from the ruling BJP, including two ministers, two from the Kuki People’s Alliance and an Independent, had met Shah in Delhi on Monday, to apprise him of the prevailing unrest, and seek a “separate administration” for their people.

The three-page memorandum “demanding separation from the state of Manipur” stated, “Our people have lost faith in the Manipur government and can no longer imagine resettling in the Valley where their lives are no longer safe.

“The Meiteis hate us and do not respect us. The need now is a formalisation of the separation through the setting up of separation of the administration of the hills inhabited by our people. We cannot live together any more.”

The MLAs met Shah a day after a six-member delegation led by chief minister N. Biren Singh, who had on Monday said in Imphal that the home minister has assured that the territorial integrity of the state would not be affected because of the prevailing unrest involving the Meitei and Kuki communities.

No central minister has visited the state since the unrest began on May 3 following a solidarity rally called by the ten hill districts opposing the ST demand of the majority Meitei community. The hills are dominated by the Kuki and Naga tribes.

The BJP has 37 MLAs in a House of 60 and also enjoys the support of 18 MLAs. The ten MLAs are firm on separate administration as of now, one of the BJP MLAs said, clarifying they are not against their party.

Urging the home minister to seriously consider an appropriate mechanism for the separation of the administration of the two communities, the MLAs described the unrest as “institutionalised ethnic cleansing” by the majority Meitei community against the Kuki-Chin-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar minority community, mostly living in the state’s ten hill districts. Manipur has 16 districts, six of which are located in the Valley.

“That Manipur is now partitioned is the ground reality. Huge population transfers between the Valley and the hills inhabited by the Kuki-Chin-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar had occurred. There are no tribals left in the Imphal Valley. There are no Meiteis left in the hills. The government of Manipur and its police machinery were communalised and used in a pogrom against Kuki tribals,” the memorandum said.

The memorandum further stated that Kuki colonies and houses were “attacked with precision” in Imphal city.

An official said the unrest, which has impacted both communities, has left at least 74 dead, with Imphal West on top (25 deaths) followed by Churachandpur (18) Imphal East (13) Bishnupur (8), Tengnoupal and Thoubal (2 each). Over 45,000 have been affected and over 1,700 houses/structures destroyed in arson. An uneasy calm prevails in the valley.