No deals on Manipur’s territorial integrity: CM
Peace talks between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities of Manipur will not be accepted if they compromise Manipur’s territorial integrity, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said on Wednesday, echoing Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement at a campaign rally a few days ago.
Speaking at the launch of the BJP’s manifesto in the State, Mr. Singh said any such talks between the two communities should also ensure the protection of the “indigenous people”. “We will not accept peace negotiations that dilute these fundamental issues,” he said.
The hill-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo and valley-based Meitei communities have been engaged in an ethnic con¦ict in the State since violence erupted last May. So far, over 220 people have been killed, thousands injured, and tens of thousands displaced. The con¦ict was triggered by a Manipur High Court order regarding the Meitei community’s demand for ST status. The Meiteis claim that they are indigenous to the land and hence should qualify to be called a tribe. Formal peace talks between apex civil bodies of the Meiteis and Kukis are yet to begin.
Mr. Singh added that the Home Minister had acknowledged deliberate attempts to disrupt the demographic balance of the State, asking why “this fact” was apparently unknown to the Opposition.
The Kuki-Zo community has accused the Union government of discriminatory treatment in retaining AFSPA in the hill districts, while lifting it from the Imphal Valley.
(With inputs from PTI)