New Delhi: The Mizoram government, looking to support the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from violence-hit Manipur who have sought refuge in the state, has decided to raise funds from legislators, local administration employees and the public, it is learnt. The move, a top Mizoram government official said, came after the state’s repeated pleas to the central government for financial help of Rs 10 crore to help the displaced people went “unheeded”.
On Tuesday, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga made his displeasure with the Union government public in a long Twitter post made at 3.35 am. He said “development with a human touch and Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas applies to my Zo ethnic tribes in Manipur too”, in a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan for inclusive governance. The situation in Manipur has “worsened”, he added.
“The brutal violence in Manipur has resulted in Internally Displaced People to the tune of 12,000 in Mizoram. Refugees and/or IDPs from Manipur, Myanmar & Bangladesh have risen to over 50,000. I wish & pray that the Central Govt., on humanitarian ground lend us an immediate helping hand,” the CM tweeted.
Zoramthanga heads the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) which is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis have claimed over 150 lives and displaced over 50,000 people in the last two months, according to Manipur Police data. Thousands have been forced to take shelter in relief camps set up across the state, with many fleeing to neighbouring Mizoram.
According to Mizoram government records, out of the 12,301 displaced people from Manipur, 2,920 are in 35 relief camps set up in Aizawl, Kolasib and Saitual districts, while the rest have taken shelter with relatives and friends in the state.
The Mizos share deep ethnic ties with the Kukis.
The violence in Manipur began after an order of the Manipur High Court suggested that the state grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis. Immediately after the violence broke out in early May, the Mizoram Home Department issued a statement expressing solidarity with the “Zohnahthlak community”, or the Kuki-Chin-Mizo ethnic group.
The official cited above said that, so far, Zoramthanga has written two letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah seeking Rs 10 crore to support the displaced persons.
“The CM wrote one letter on 16 May and another on 23 May, seeking immediate assistance of Rs 10 crore. The state Sports Minister Robert Romwia Royte, accompanied by Home Commissioner Pu H. Lalengmawia, also met Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla in this regard but not a penny has been released. All our appeals have gone unheeded. It is our collective responsibility to show that we care for these people,” the official said.
Lalengmawia confirmed that the state has not received any funds from the Union government so far, but refused to comment further.
Emails and calls from ThePrint to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) did not elicit any response.
Also Read: ‘Led to ethnic violence’ — Shah says Manipur HC order on ST status for Meiteis ‘given in haste’
Request for voluntary donations
The Mizoram government official quoted above told ThePrint that the state Home Department has already written to the Mizoram Assembly Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo requesting him to seek voluntary donations from MLAs.
An appeal has also gone out to the heads of all departments to urge government employees, cutting across ranks, to donate funds to support the relief efforts of the state government, said the official.
Mizoram government sources said that, on Monday evening, the state Finance Department agreed to release Rs 5 crore for assisting the relief efforts. MPs and central government staffers posted in Mizoram are also being requested to make voluntary donations.
“But this will not be adequate as, apart from the IDPs from Manipur, we are also sheltering around 30,000 refugees from Myanmar and nearly 1,000 refugees from Bangladesh. It will be difficult for us to shoulder the additional burden,” a source in the Mizoram Home Department told ThePrint.
“And most importantly, taking care of these people is not just our responsibility. The people from Manipur who have come are Indian nationals and internally displaced. It is the MHA’s responsibility to take care of them.”
Mizoram government sources said the influx of IDPs is still underway.
Meanwhile, in his Twitter post, Zoramthanga said as violence in Manipur enters the 62nd day, “nothing seems to have changed” and “situations seem to have worsened.”
(Edited by Anumeha Saxena)