Legislators begin talk on Manipur crisis

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 15: For the first time, State legislators belonging to Meitei, Kuki and Naga communities held a meeting at the Ministerial hall of Intelligence Bureau (IB) located at 20 Subramaniam Bharti Marg near Khan Market, Delhi this afternoon.
The talk focused on bringing an end to the violent crisis which erupted from Churachandpur on May 3, 2023 and rapidly besieged the whole State.
The first ever meeting among the State legislators since the violent conflict erupted was initiated by the IB.
Notably, the IB comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The talk was participated by MLAs/Ministers belonging to Meitei, Kuki and Naga communities.
The Meitei legislators who took part in the talk are Power Minister Th Biswajit, Education Minister Th Basantakumar, Works Minister Govindas Konthoujam, Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Th Satyabrata, MLA T Robindro, MLA Th Radheshyam, Health Minister Dr Sapam Ranjan and MLA Kh Ibomcha.
The Naga community was represented by Water Resources Minister Awang-bow Newmai, MLA Losii Dikho and MLA Ram Muivah.
The Kuki legislators who attended the meeting are TA& Hills Minister Letpao Haokip, Commerce and Industries Minister Nemcha Kipgen and MLA Ngursanglur Sanate.  
Well placed sources informed that BJP North East in-charge and MP Dr Sambit Patra and another MP attended the meeting on behalf of the Government of India while IB was represented by its North East in-charge AK Mishra and another official.
Before the meeting, Sambit Patra and the other MP held a separate meeting with the Kuki MLAs/Ministers together with the IB officials.
In addition to Letpao Haokip, Nemcha Kipgen and Ngursanglur Sanate, MLA Haokholet Kipgen, MLA Letzamang Haokip were also present at the separate meeting.
The Kuki MLAs/Ministers told Sambit Patra and the IB officials that the Meitei and Kuki people cannot move to each other’s places on account of the prevailing situation.
They asked the Government of India to take up concrete actions in order to restore peace and normalcy  in Manipur.
The joint meeting with Kuki, Meitei and Naga legislators commenced after the separate meeting with the Kuki legislators which started at around 12.30 pm went on till 2.30 pm.
During the joint meeting which lasted for just around 10 minutes, many Ministers and MLAs belonging to different communities under- scored the urgent need for restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur.
In response, Sambit Patra suggested holding similar joint meetings in the coming days, said the sources.
According to a press release issued by PIB Delhi, the meeting, after discussing the current situation in the State, 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.
The Print reported from Delhi that the meeting ended up only exposing the deep schism that still exists between the Meiteis and Kukis.  
Multiple sources confirmed to ThePrint that instead of holding a joint session to resolve differences between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo communities, as was previously planned, representatives from the MHA—led by AK Mishra—first met separately with Kuki MLAs. Mishra, the Home Ministry’s Interlocutor for Manipur, was accompanied by other MHA officials and BJP’s North-East in-charge Sambit Patra and Manipur in-charge Ajit Gopchade.
After their meeting, which lasted for over two hours, a separate short meeting was held with the Meitei and Naga MLAs.
A source privy to the development said only four of the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs were present in Tuesday’s meeting. “The Kuki-Zo MLAs had requested an exclusive meeting with the MHA at this juncture, which was accepted by the latter,” the first source said.
“The Kuki MLAs requested the MHA that since they did not get enough time, they could not consult their constituents, other Kuki MLAs as well as the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) about their stand. They conveyed that they do not want to engage in any discussions with the Meitei MLAs without consulting the CSOs. So, they wanted to have a separate meeting with MHA officials instead of a joint one with the Meitei and Naga MLAs,” a second source aware of the development said.
“The Kuki MLAs were asked about their position on the situation in the hill State,” the first source said, adding that six of the 10 Kuki MLAs could not attend Tuesday’s meeting as they were informed only on Friday. “There was not much time as some already had engagements that they had committed to,” the source said.
The BJP Meitei MLAs, who held a separate meeting later with the MHA representatives included Th Satyabrata Singh, Th Biswajit Singh, Th Basanta Singh, among others. The Naga MLAs included Ram Muivah, Awangbow Newmai and L Dikho.
The Meitei and Naga MLAs were asked for their views on the prevailing situation in the State and leaders from both the communities urged for amicable solution to the conflict.
The Kuki-Zo MLAs have been pressing for a Separate Administration for them for peace to return to the hill state.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Kuki People’s Alliance, which has two MLAs in the Manipur Assembly, while endorsing the Central Government’s proposal for talks with MLAs of Meiteis, Kuki and Naga reiterated that the Kuki MLAs will “steadfastly advocate our rightful claim to a Union Territory with legislative powers, a necessity borne out of compulsion given our territorial segregation”.
Tuesday’s meeting follows Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on 17 September that the roadmap for resolving the Manipur situation in the coming days is already prepared and the situation can be resolved through dialogue between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The Kuki-Zomi MLAs have been pressing for a separate administration for them for peace to return. This should be the steadfast standpoint of the Kuki-Zo MLAs in the meeting.