10 MLAs from Manipur Bring Union Territory Demands to Delhi; Request PM's Assistance to Curb Violence

New Delhi/Imphal, Dec 10 (NationPress) Emphasizing their requests for a distinct governance structure or Union Territory (UT) for the tribal communities in Manipur, a group of ten MLAs staged a dharnas in Delhi and later appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and halt the violence afflicting the northeastern state.

The ten tribal MLAs, which include seven from the BJP, after their protest at Jantar Mantar, submitted a memorandum urging the Prime Minister to consider a separate administration in the form of a UT with its own Legislature as the only viable solution to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur.

They strongly criticized the slow progress in political discussions with the United Peoples' Front (UPF) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), stating, "We denounce attempts to foster divisions among our people through proposals to terminate the Suspension of Operations (SoO) with certain armed groups."

According to their memorandum, "The SoO agreement was intended to address political matters and promote peace; if the government hesitates to prolong the SoO with select armed factions, it undermines the essence of the agreement."

The UPF and KNO, which is a coalition of 23 groups, established a SoO with the government on August 22, 2008, and currently, approximately 2,266 Kuki tribals are believed to be residing in various designated camps throughout Manipur.

When the SoO was agreed upon, the Congress party was in power in Manipur.

Since the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3 last year, all Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal organizations, along with the ten tribal MLAs, including seven from the BJP, have been boycotting sessions of the Manipur Assembly, demanding a separate administration or Union Territory for the tribal groups in the state.

The central and state governments have repeatedly dismissed the call for a separate administration.

The memorandum presented to the Prime Minister emphasized, "In addition to the long-standing and systemic discrimination faced by the hill districts in terms of development by successive Meitei-majoritarian state governments, it is disheartening to witness the worsening discrimination during this ongoing conflict over the past 19 months."

"The Manipur government has failed to advocate for and has intentionally excluded the affected hill districts from receiving Central financial assistance under the 'PM-DevINE' scheme for the project aimed at providing Super Speciality and Assured Speciality Health Care in remote and hill areas of Manipur (Infrastructure and equipment)."

The ten tribal MLAs called on the central government to implement interim planning strategies and budget allocations to support essential development initiatives in districts predominantly populated by tribals, pending a final resolution through a political agreement.

The protest by the ten tribal MLAs occurred just a day after leaders from the INDIA bloc in Manipur held a similar sit-in demonstration at Jantar Mantar, urging the Prime Minister to visit the violence-stricken state and address the ongoing ethnic conflicts that have persisted for 19 months.

During their address to the gathering, the INDIA bloc leaders claimed that both the central and state governments have failed to resolve the ethnic crisis, which has severely impacted the lives of residents due to continuous violence.

Several opposition figures, including Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, Congress' Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, and CPI General Secretary D. Raja, among others, participated in the protest.