Meitei MLAs put up show of strength in Delhi, seek territorial integrity, exit from SoO

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Meitei MLAs from Manipur in New Delhi, Monday (Express Photo)

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Meitei MLAs put up show of strength in Delhi, seek territorial integrity, exit from SoO

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A delegation of 30 MLAs from Manipur – all from the state’s dominant Meitei community – met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi on Monday, demanding that there should be no change in territorial integrity of the state, and seeking the Centre’s withdrawal from the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki-Zomi insurgent groups.

The delegation of MLAs – mostly from the BJP and one each from the NPP and JD(U) – also met Manipur BJP state in charge Sambit Patra with similar demands. They will also meet BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh on Tuesday.

The stress on territorial integrity comes amid violent clashes between the Kuki-Zomi tribes and Meiteis in Manipur for more than a month. The violence has led to a demand for a separate administration by the Kuki-Zomi community.

After the meeting with Patra, a delegation member told The Indian Express, “Sambit Patra spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone… the Home Minister has reiterated and assured that the territorial integrity of the state will be maintained.’’

During his visit to Manipur last month, Shah had given a similar assurance.

“We have come here to see how peace can be restored quickly. In light of that we have raised certain issues with both the Defence Minister as well as the Finance Minister. We needed to discuss some issues of the party – related to the allegation made by UKLF (a Kuki insurgent group) chief S S Haokip, saying that the UKLF helped the BJP win the elections. This has been in conversation in Manipur and needed to be clarified,” said an MLA. “We sought clarification from the senior leaders. They assured us that there is no such tactical understanding or arrangement between the party and the SoO groups and that a clarification will be issued by the party in a day or two.”

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The delegation also raised the issue of the immediate reopening of National Highway 2 (which leads to Kohima in Nagaland), an arterial lifeline to the Imphal valley, for transportation of essential goods. The highway passes through the Kuki-dominated Kanpokpi district.

“The Kukis have imposed a blockade on the highway, cutting off essential supplies to Imphal. While this blockade has been lifted at times, it keeps getting imposed and we need the issue to be resolved immediately. The Union ministers have assured us that this will be done at the earliest,” said an MLA.

Also demanding that the Centre withdraw from the SoO agreement with the insurgent groups, the delegation raised alleged breach of the pact by the Kuki-Zomi insurgent groups. The delegation demanded that the Centre “deal with the groups sternly, in a manner that is visible on the ground’’.

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Earlier this year, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had unilaterally withdrawn from the SoO arrangement, citing the continued support of the insurgent groups to drug trade. This withdrawal had not been backed by the Centre.

The MLAs also demanded that illegal immigrants and Myanmarese “militia” be kept out of the state and that the border fencing be carried out immediately.