Guwahati, Oct 16: Despite high hopes that the first-ever peace meeting between Kuki, Meitei, and Naga MLAs of Manipur, arranged by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on Tuesday, would lead to end of months of turmoil in the State, it has infact created confusion even as the talks remained inconclusive.
While the 6 Kuki-Zo-Hmar MLAs said they did not attend the meeting, a press statement by the MHA claimed that 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.
According to the MHA, 20 MLAs, including six Kuki-Zo representatives, participated in the meeting, which aimed to bring stability to the conflict-stricken state.
Manipur has been boiling in ethnic violence since May 3, 2023, creating a deep divide between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities.
The Kuki-Zo MLAs, on the other hand, maintained that they did not participate in the joint meeting with Meitei and Naga MLAs, instead they only met with officials from the MHA.
The Kuki-Zo MLAs issued a statement shortly after the meeting in which they stressed that any future dialogues involving the communities must first undergo thorough deliberation with the public.
In their statement, they reiterated that they are representing the Kuki-Zo people, who are demanding a separate administrative arrangement or Union Territory (UT) with a legislature. The MLAs underscored that any peace discussions would be futile unless this political demand is addressed.
Furthermore, the Kuki-Zo MLAs emphasized that if there is a future need to meet with the Meitei and Naga representatives, they will only do so after consulting with Kuki-Zo civil society organizations (CSOs). They also expressed full confidence in the leadership of the Kuki National Organization (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), confirming that their demands align entirely with those presented by these groups.
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