Kuki MLAs oppose resolution seeking abrogation of deal with Manipur rebel groups

Ten Kuki-Zo lawmakers, including seven from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have opposed a Manipur assembly resolution urging the Union government to abrogate a suspension of operations (SOO) pact with militant outfits, calling it one-sided and biased towards their community. On Thursday, the assembly adopted the resolution citing the violation of the agreement by the Kuki militant outfits.
The 10 legislators have been demanding a separate administration for their community since the ethnic violence between Meiteis and tribal Kukis began in May last year. They were absent from the assembly when the resolution was discussed and adopted.
“We the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar MLAs [members of the legislative assembly] would like to condemn and place on record our dissent and disapproval of this one-sided resolution emanating from prejudice, bias, and hatred for our community that reflects a myopic view on the issue,” the 10 said in a statement.
Twenty-five Kuki militant groups, including 17 under the umbrella group Kuki National Organisation, signed the agreement in August 2008. The pact has been renewed periodically.
As the pact expired on Thursday, the Meiteis lawmakers passed the resolution blaming the Kuki outfits for the violence in the state since May last year that has left 219 people dead and over 50,000 displaced.
Kuki-Zo legislators questioned whether the resolution was based on any report or observations of a Joint Monitoring Group, which includes Central agencies, which is the only official mechanism to determine violations.
“This obviously is not the case as the resolution is based on an overwhelming sense of animosity and hatred for a particular community,” the statement said. They credited the pact for ushering peace in Kuki-dominated hill districts.
The 10 lawmakers blamed the Meitei group United National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal in December with the Union government, for violence. They said the resolution was adopted to further alienate their community as part of the continuing hate campaign. “We appeal to the union home ministry to consider all aspects of the issue in a fair and just manner to check further discrimination and alienation of the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people.”