A delegation of 10 MLAs from the NDA, comprising 8 from the BJP, 1 from the NPP, and 1 Independent, met Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on May 28 to stake their claim to form a new government in the state. Led by BJP MLA Thokchom Radheshyam Singh, the group submitted a proposal to end the President’s Rule, imposed after the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh following 20 months of ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki Zo communities. Netizens argue that the coalition lacks representation from the Kuk Zo community, therefore raising doubts about its inclusivity and success in absolving the ethnic conflict.
This comes at a time when Manipur is grappling with a grave ethnic divide, with countless deaths, over 60,000 displaced, and 4,786 houses destroyed, triggered by a Manipur High Court order anointing Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community, a demand that the Kuki Zo opposed. The violence stemmed from deep seated differences from historical tensions over land and resources to political representation. The state was thus split into the Meitei dominated Imphal Valley and Kuki administered hill districts, separated by a no man’s land patrolled by military forces.
While President’s Rule has reduced gun violence and arson, some looted police weapons were even recovered, and brazenly armed militants were seen less and less, peace remains elusive to the people in Manipur. The ethnic divide, although not deepening, persists. Highways and movement between the Meitei dominated Imphal Valley and Kuki Zo administered hills are heavily restricted and areas of contention. Displaced residents, whose homes were among the 4,786 destroyed, are stranded due to ongoing hostilities. An eerie calm had settled over the state, only to be disrupted by an incident near the Shirui Lily festival in Ukhrul district when a state transport bus carrying journalists approached Kuki Zo areas. Security personnel covered the state’s name with stickers to ensure safe passage, a move that did not sit right with the civil society groups. The groups even blocked the way for the bus but eventually let go after festival organizers protested. Meitei groups saw this as a form of surrender to the Kuki Zo demands for a separate administration, a bone of contention in peace talks. The center’s efforts to broker peace, including a recent meeting with Meitei and Kuki representatives, have yet to yield a resolution.
