More meetings to take place on Manipur ethnic crisis: Minister

More meetings to take place on Manipur ethnic crisis Minister

PTI, October 16, 2024, Imphal : Manipur minister Awangbow Newmai on Wednesday said that there will be more meetings involving Meitei and Kuki leaders in the future to address the ethnic issue in the northeastern state.

Newmai, who belongs to the Naga community, returned from New Delhi after participating in the first such meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as part of its efforts to iron out differences between the Meiteis and Kukis, and find an amicable solution to the crisis.

“I am grateful to the Home Ministry for taking this initiative. We need frequent meetings as everyone is longing for peace. We have to find out what is best for everyone," Newmai told reporters at Imphal airport.

Around 20 MLAs belonging to the Meitei, Kuki and Naga communities of Manipur met in New Delhi for the first time since ethnic violence broke out in the state 17 months ago.

"I saw a lot of positivity in the Home Ministry's initiative. There will be more meetings. Yesterday's was just the initial meeting,” the water resource department and relief and disasters management minister said.

Asked when the next meeting will happen, Newmai said he cannot say it “but it will happen soon again".

The main thing needed for both sides right now is to try to come together and be involved in dialogue, the Naga Peoples Front legislator said.

Law Minister Th Basantakumar Singh and Health Minister Sapam Ranjan also returned from Delhi on Wednesday. They, however, did not interact with the media.

Meanwhile, the Congress in Manipur on Tuesday welcomed the talks held between the Meitei and Kuki legislators in Delhi to find a solution to the ethnic crisis in the northeastern state, but said this initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs should have been made much earlier.

State Congress president K. Meghachandra also said that Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and Union Minister Amit Shah should have been present at the meeting, held for the first time since ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state 17 months ago.

"We appreciate the talks as we have hope for peace and normalcy in the state. However, it would have been better if the meeting had been called earlier. Precious lives could have been saved if it was held earlier," Meghachandra told PTI.

Those who attended the meeting included state Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, Tongbram Robindro, Th. Basantakumar Singh from the Meitei side and Kuki MLAs Letpao Haokip and Nemcha Kipgen — both state ministers. The Naga community was represented by MLAs Ram Muivah, Awangbow Newmai, and L. Dikho, the sources said.

The Congress leader claimed that the absence of Amit Shah and Biren Singh at the meeting would have an impact. "Biren Singh is the head of the government and he holds the home portfolio. His presence was required. The absence of Shah shows the negligence of the government and made the meeting incomplete," Meghachandra said.

Kuki legislator Paolienlal Haokip, who was not invited to the talks, said the meeting is a welcome step, but the issue in the state is political and needs to be handled politically.

Haokip, a BJP MLA who is vocal about the rights of the Kukis, said, "The matter should not be treated as a fight between two villages... It has come to a point where a section of citizens have been cleansed and so much killing has happened."

The United People’s Front (UPF), a Kuki militant group and one of the signatories of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) with Central and state governments, raised the issue of separate administration for the tribals of Manipur.

"We have consistently prioritised the establishment of a distinct administration within the Indian Constitution to ensure that our identity, culture, and resources are constitutionally safeguarded and that our people can live dignified lives and flourish in the same manner as others," the UPF said.

The SoO pact was signed by the Centre, the Manipur government, and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits – Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF). The pact was signed in 2008 and extended periodically thereafter.