Exclusive: Territorial council not workable, didn’t accept Kuki proposal in April 2023—Manipur ex-CM Biren

Proposal from Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups was unofficially discussed with Centre's interlocutor AK Mishra in April 2023, he said.

Former Manipur chief minister Biren Singh feels that he might have been the stumbling block to the demands of the SoO groups | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Imphal: Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh revealed that the then Centre’s Northeast interlocutor A.K.Mishra had in April 2023 unofficially discussed with him a proposal from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups to have a Kuki territorial council comprising three-four districts but it was not acceptable to him.

He had told Mishra that he wanted time to discuss it with other stakeholders.
“Around the latter part of April 2023, the Manipur interlocutor (Mishra) and I unofficially discussed some proposals that the SoO groups had given with their demands. I invited some of my colleagues and sat down with the interlocutor,” Singh told ThePrint in an exclusive interview.

“Many of the issues in the proposal were negotiable but demands for a Kuki territorial council comprising three-four districts, autonomy of minerals, judicial, legislative and financial autonomy—I said these points I can’t accept.”

Last month, Kuki National Organisation (KNO) spokesperson Seilen Haokip had told ThePrint that the SoO groups were on the verge of reaching an agreement with the Centre to have a separate administration for the Kuki-Zos when ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on 3 May, 2023.

Haokip had said that post May 2023, the ground situation had changed and along with that their demand. The SoO groups are now pressing for a union territory with a legislature.

The KNO and the United People’s Front (UPF), which together represent 24 insurgent groups, signed the SoO agreement way back in 2008 for cessation of violence and initiating political dialogue to settle their demands for self-governance within the Constitutional framework. The tripartite agreement with Kuki-Zo militant groups was subsequently renewed for a year in September 2025. The agreement expired in 4 September, 2026 and the Centre and Manipur government has not renewed it yet.
Singh, meanwhile, explained that he told the interlocutor he wanted some time to discuss the matter with his cabinet colleagues, the MLAs, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the people.

“We can’t have such a type of separate administration. I have to take all stakeholders into confidence and only then can we decide. I took a copy of the demand. I had rejected 2-3 points in the proposal. Then suddenly after 5-10 days, there was a rally on 3 May in Churachandpur and violence started. It was very unfortunate.”

Around 300 people have been killed in the ethnic violence since May 2023 and over 60,000 people across the two communities—Meiteis and Kukis—have been displaced.

ThePrint reached out to Mishra, the former Northeast interlocutor, on the phone but did not get a response.

The former chief minister felt that he might have been the stumbling block to the demands of the SoO groups. “… maybe they thought if Biren is there, their demands will not be fulfilled…. That kind of thing might have happened.”

Singh said that he told the interlocutor that Manipur people have lived together like brothers and sisters since time immemorial. “Separate territorial council, separate administration is not a workable solution. We cannot divide Manipur because there are Meiteis, Kukis, Nagas, Meitei Pangals. Manipur state should be one. We should live together, we cannot divide Manipur in districts or community’s name. We cannot do it.”

The SoO groups, he said, might have thought the Manipur government would agree. “We can agree but any autonomy – be it of economy, development, will have to come through the state government, in consultation with and through the state government. Then only we can have one unique state,” Singh said.

“If the state is divided in functioning—economic independence has been given to some community, land ownership to another community, legislative autonomy to some other, then there is no meaning of a state. We can call Manipur a state, but internally it will be divided. That was my concern and I told the interlocutor, we have to take more time and I have to discuss with my people,” he added.

(Edited by Tony Rai)