Key Kuki body asks its MLAs to skip Manipur Assembly session pending political settlement

Imphal, Aug 31 (IANS) The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), an apex body of the Kuki tribal community, has issued a firm directive to all Kuki-Zo MLAs, asking them not to travel to Imphal to attend the eighth session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly scheduled to commence on September 2, pending a political settlement of the Kuki-Zo people’s demand for Separate Administration.

The KIM, in a statement, said that it wanted to make it clear that the participation of Kuki-Zo MLAs in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, at a time when the fundamental political question concerning the future of the Kuki-Zo people remains unresolved, would be inconsistent with the collective political position and aspirations of the Kuki-Zo people.

The Kuki-Zo people, it said, have made their political aspirations clear, and their demand for a separate political administration is not an issue that can simply be set aside while normal legislative proceedings are resumed as though the prevailing political crisis has already been resolved.

“There can be no return to business as usual without a political solution,” the KIM said in its directive. The KIM, therefore, called upon every Kuki-Zo MLA to demonstrate political responsibility, solidarity and fidelity to the mandate and aspirations of the people they represent by strictly adhering to the directive.

The apex Kuki tribal body said that any Kuki-Zo MLA who chooses to disregard the collective directive should understand that such conduct would be viewed as a direct departure from the collective political position of the Kuki-Zo people and as siding against their legitimate political aspirations.

“At this critical juncture, the Kuki-Zo MLAs must stand firmly with their people. Political representation cannot be divorced from the political will of the people,” the KIM said. It said that the prevailing circumstances demand unity, discipline and a clear political stand rather than travelling to Imphal to participate in an Assembly whose legitimacy as an instrument of governance over the Kuki-Zo areas remains fundamentally contested.

The KIM further reiterated that the Kuki-Zo people would not accept any attempt to use the participation of their MLAs in the Manipur Legislative Assembly to project an impression of normalcy or to dilute their demand for a political settlement.

“The present circumstances demand unity, discipline and a clear political stand,” the KIM said, adding that the unresolved political question concerning the future of the Kuki-Zo people must be addressed before any return to normal political and legislative functioning.

The tribal body maintained that participation in the Assembly at this stage could send a message that the political crisis has been resolved, whereas, according to the KIM, the Kuki-Zo people’s demand for Separate Administration remains pending.

The KIM said that the collective political position of the Kuki-Zo people must be respected and that their elected representatives should remain faithful to the mandate and aspirations of the people they represent. It asserted that the Kuki-Zo people’s political aspirations could not be ignored or diluted through participation in routine legislative proceedings without first arriving at a political solution acceptable to the community.

The directive comes ahead of the eighth session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, scheduled to begin in Imphal on September 2, amid continuing political and ethnic tensions in the violence-hit state.

The Kuki-Zo community has 10 legislators in the 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly, including Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and six other BJP MLAs.

Since ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities on May 3, 2023, a majority of the MLAs belonging to the tribal community have been boycotting Assembly sessions and have rarely visited the Imphal Valley region.

–IANS

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