Guwahati: BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip from the Kuki community has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief stopover in Manipur.
Haokip questioned the purpose of the visit and termed it a waste of public resources.
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Haokip added that the people of Manipur had hopes that Modi would hear their grievances and aspirations.
“But not even ten minutes were spared to listen to our woes—not even from party MLAs,” he said.
Haokip elaborated, “I’ll meet and greet him when he has time to listen to the woes and aspirations of my people.”
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Meanwhile, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) on Saturday submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Manipur’s Churachandpur.
They asked for a “lasting political solution” in the form of a “separate administration”.
The KZC, said that Kuki-Zo people, demolished by protracted ethnic violence, could no longer survive under the “domination” of the valley-based polity.”
They urged for a Union Territory (UT) status with a legislature under Article 239A of the Constitution.
“For years, we have consistently demanded complete separation from Manipur, seeking a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature… This demand arises not from convenience, but from necessity – for peace, security, and survival of our people,” the KZC’s memorandum said.
Highlighting the September 4 Suspension of Operations (SoO) between the Central government and Kuki militant groups asking for a “time-bound political settlement”, the KZC requested the Union government to expedite the dialogue process.
Talking about the effect of the ethnic strife, the KZC alleged, “More than 250 innocent lives have been lost at the hands of the majority Meitei community; over 360 churches and places of worship reduced to ashes; more than 7,000 homes burnt; and over 40,000 of our people remain displaced in relief camps, separated from their ancestral homes.”