CHURACHANDPUR: The tribal Kukis in Manipur are going to polls with a political party they consider their own.
The Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA), floated last month with an aim to protect the land, culture, identity and nationalism of the Kukis, is contesting in two seats.
A similar move, initiated in the 1950s, had fallen flat. As the Kuki National Assembly remained moribund for the past many years, a group of Kuki leaders, including intellectuals, floated the KPA.
The party said it could not field candidates in many seats as it got recognition from the Election Commission of India (ECI) only in mid-January this year.
“The registration process of the ECI is tedious and elaborate. We got our registration in January, six-seven months after we had applied for it. And we got the right to field candidates in mid-January,” KPA vice president, Dr Chinkholal Thangsing, told The New Indian Express.
He said the party got barely two weeks to decide on its candidates and this prompted some prospective candidates to go to some national political parties and contest the polls.
“In the 1950s, the Kukis had a political party Kuki National Assembly but it remained dysfunctional. We felt it needs to be revived but could not do so despite discussions for four-five years,” Dr Thangsing said.
As elsewhere, the Kukis of Manipur, who are the descendants of the Zo community, are politically divided. They owe their allegiance to different political parties, including the BJP.
Dr Thangsing claimed the KPA is “broad-based and it represents the different ethnic Kuki clans and tribes”.
He said the KPA would have been in a stronger position if it had the time to field eight-nine candidates.
“It would have helped us to assert ourselves for achieving our goals. But I believe the KPA will be the future of the Kukis,” he said.
The party tried to warm up to the voters saying it is their party that can protect their land, culture, identity and nationalism, unlike other parties which have their own ideology and agenda. People have been receptive, he claimed.
Earlier, the National People’s Party (NPP) had alleged that its candidates and workers were being intimidated by some tribal insurgent groups in peace mode at the behest of the BJP.
Dr Thangsing said the rebels have their own way of thinking which may not be the same as that of the general public.
“But I feel they are also thinking for the right cause. They are fighting for a territorial council for our people within the state of Manipur and the Constitution of India,” he said.
“Since a certain political party (BJP) is in power in the state and at the centre, there must be some belief that if we appease them, they might be able to fast-forward the (rebels’) talks for securing our demand for a territorial council where the tribals run their own affairs under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution,” Dr Thangsing said.
On the streets of the hilly Churachandpur town, the BJP is more visible. The district has six Assembly constituencies and in the 2017 elections, the BJP and the Congress had won three seats each.
In this election, the NPP and the Janata Dal (United) are trying to emerge as a force to reckon with in the district. The general perception is that the Kuki-based KPA will get lost in the polls in an avalanche of parties.