Imphal: Thirty-seven MLAs and two MPs on Wednesday committed to update the National Registration of Citizenship (NRC) base year in Manipur to 1951 and to abrogate the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Kuki insurgents.
The Arambai Tenggol, a radical Meitei socio-religious group, had asked all MLAs from the Imphal Valley to attend a meeting Wednesday following which the Metei lawmakers gave their word to pursue the commitments in 15 days.
Earlier in the day, these legislators along with two parliamentarians — Union Minister of State for Education and External Affairs R. K. Ranjan Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba — met with the representatives of the Arambai Tenggol at the historic Kangla Fort in Imphal.
The draft resolution is likely to be presented to the President as well as the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, according to a lawmaker who attended the meeting. The lawmaker added that if the Centre didn’t act at the earliest, the signatories of a resolution arrived at the meeting will “go along with the wishes of the people of Manipur”.
A video of the meeting from the Kangla Fort was widely shared on social media. ThePrint, however, cannot verify the video.
At a mass gathering at Khwairamband Bazar, Arambai Tenggol leader Korouganba Khuman announced details of the meeting to the people assembled there. “The 37 legislators with two MPs who signed the draft resolution today have assured us that the present Government will act positively within 15 days,” Khuman said.
The Arambai Tenggol has been demanding the implementation of NRC with 1951 as the base year, and to deport those who entered Manipur after 1952. Currently, the base year of NRC is 1961 in Manipur.
It also insists on the abrogation of the SoO with the Kuki insurgent groups, besides diverting the refugees from Myanmar to Mizoram. The Centre, the Manipur government and Kuki outfits had inked the SoO in 2008, and it was extended periodically.
Border fencing along Myanmar and withdrawal of the Assam Rifles also came up for discussion, according to the six demands mentioned in the memorandum. Other demands include the Kukis be “delisted” from the list of Scheduled Castes.
Veteran leader and former Manipur minister Okram Joy welcomed the move by the Meitei MLAs. “The move of the legislators is a good step, but the present government has to act upon these demands much earlier, not after losing so many lives, and so many homesteads reduced to ashes,” he told ThePrint.
Former chief minister and Congress MLA Okram Ibobi Singh also welcomed the resolution and lauded the Arambai Tenggol for taking up responsibilities to find a way forward to resolve the Manipur crisis.
Citing the border fencing work during his rule, Ibobi told The Print that up to 10 km of the India-Myanmar border fencing work was started during the Congress rule.
“We have always told the central government not to indulge the Kuki cadres. But, look at the outcome now…We need to ensure the ground rules of SoO are observed,” he said on the demand for suspension of the SoO agreement.
A BJP leader told ThePrint that the demands made by the Arambai Tenggol is for “the future of the Meitei community” and that “they (lawmakers) need to act upon it”.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of Kuki outfits, released a press statement late Wednesday evening in which it slammed the meeting at the Kangla Fort.
It is for the first time in history that an outfit which “openly displays sophisticated weapons stolen from police armouries was able to order state lawmakers, including the chief minister, to attend a meeting it had called and made the MLAs endorse their demands,” the statement said.
“Manipur police and central security forces remained mute spectators as Arambai Tenggol leader Korounganba Khuman arrived at the venue in Imphal in a police vehicle, and the militant group proceeded to administer an oath-taking ceremony to the MLAs. All these happened even as a special team sent by the central government is camping nearby in the city,” it added.
It further suggested that “imposition of President’s Rule is the only way the central government can prevent total anarchy in Manipur.”
This report has been updated with ITLF statement
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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