Guwahati: The swearing in of BJP’s Kuki Zo legislator Nemcha Kipgen as deputy chief minister of Manipur Wednesday triggered a fresh storm in the state’s fragile ethnic landscape, with her identity itself becoming a contested political battleground.
On one hand, Kuki Zo Council announced a social boycott of community MLAs who joined the new government with protesters blocking roads by burning tyres in Kangpokpi district late on Wednesday.
The Joint Forum of Seven (JF7), a body of Kuki freedom fighters formed under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s leadership in Azad Hind Fauz, called for a total shutdown in Kuki Zo-dominated areas on Friday.
A mass protest public rally will be held in Churachandpur opposing the participation of Kuki Zo MLAs in the formation of the Manipur government.
On the other hand, the Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of the Thadou tribe, congratulated Kipgen on her historic appointment as the first Thadou to hold the constitutional office but issued a sharp directive that she must reject the “Kuki” identity and disassociate herself from separatist narratives.
Thadou Inpi Manipur highlighted its position on the classification of tribes in the state, as “Any Kuki Tribes (AKT)” category recorded in the 2011 Census. It added that Kipgen holds a Thadou tribe certificate and was elected from the General (Kangpokpi) constituency, not under the AKT category.
“Deputy chief minister Nemcha's identity must be stated with clarity: she is Thadou, not Kuki, nor a political representative of Kuki ideology,” TIM said, adding that she “must fearlessly and unequivocally reject Kuki ideology and separatist agendas and fully embrace her distinct Thadou identity.”
TIM warned, “There must be no intimidation, targeting, or obstruction of her presence in Imphal. A Thadou–Meitei community understanding has been established, and Thadous have been able to move freely and fearlessly in Imphal and other parts of the valley. Peace must not be disturbed through misidentification or misrepresentation of identity.”
There are 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs in the current assembly, seven of whom are from BJP. Besides Kipgen, two other Kuki-Zo MLAs, LM Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate attended the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan on Wednesday.
On Wednesday evening, agitators burnt tyres and blocked roads in Kangpokpi district to protest Kipgen’s swearing in. The Kuki Liberation Army issued a “clear and final warning” that any Kuki Zo representative joining the government would be deemed to have betrayed the community.
Prabin Kalita is a journalist at The Times of India and is curren...
Read MorePrabin Kalita is a journalist at The Times of India and is currently the Chief of Bureau (northeast). He has been reporting in mainstream Indian national media since 2001. He has been a field journalist reporting gamut of issues from India’s northeastern region and major developments in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, China, Bhutan and Bangladesh concerning India and northeastern region. He has been covering insurgency—internal and cross-border, politics, natural calamities, environment etc. He is a post-graduate in Geological Sciences from Gauhati University.
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