Manipur Congress welcomes Delhi talks on ethnic crisis, questions absence of CM, Amit Shah

Imphal: 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.

More than 220 people, including members of both the Kuki and Meitei communities as well as security personnel, have been killed in the violence that broke out in Manipur on May 3 last year.

"The meeting would have been more purposeful if opposition party members as well as civil society organizations were also included. They (the Centre) should have invited the opposition. From the current state of things, it points to a meeting of government legislators only," the state Congress chief said.

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 it 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.