GUWAHATI: Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh stated that anyone challenging India’s integrity would receive a “befitting reply.” This response follows remarks made by Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma at a Kuki-Zo diaspora gathering in the United States in September.
Lalduhoma had expressed support for unifying Kuki-Zo tribals, who are spread across India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, under a single leadership.
When questioned about Lalduhoma’s comments on Thursday, Singh replied, “I don’t want to react on his comment. As a proud Indian, as the Chief Minister of Manipur, and as a nationalist, (I would say) no one can touch India’s and Manipur’s integrity.”
Singh, addressing the media on the sidelines of a school’s silver jubilee celebration in Imphal, reiterated his position: “India is a big country, and we should be proud of being Indians. My stance is very clear—we will stand for India, for its unity and integrity. It is our duty to keep India united. Whoever will challenge it, we will give a befitting reply.”
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress party in BJP-ruled Manipur also criticised the Mizoram Chief Minister’s remarks, which they claimed “undermined the unity and integrity of both India and Manipur.”
Earlier, Mizoram’s Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) had issued a statement regarding Lalduhoma’s speech in the United States. The DIPR quoted him saying, “As I approach the end of my speech, I want to let everyone here know that the primary reason I accepted the invitation to visit the United States is to seek a path towards unity for all of us. We are one people—brothers and sisters—and we cannot afford to be divided or apart from one another.”
The DIPR statement further noted that Lalduhoma expressed hope for unity, stating, “I want us to have the conviction and confidence that one day, through the strength of God, who made us a nation, we will rise together under one leadership to achieve our destiny of nationhood. While a country may have borders, a true nation transcends such limitations. We have been unjustly divided, forced to exist under three different governments in three different countries, and this is something we can never accept.”