GUWAHATI: The 'Arambai Tenggol', a powerful radical Meitei organisation in Manipur, made the state's Meitei legislators take a peace pledge and that they will raise “people’s concerns” with the Centre.
Sources said 37 legislators and two Parliamentarians, including Minister of State for External Affairs RK Ranjan Singh, had turned up to the outfit's meeting at the famous Kangla Fort in Imphal City on Wednesday.
Five opposition Congress MLAs, including former three-time Manipur Chief Minister (2002-2017) and veteran party leader Okram Ibobi Singh, also participated in the meeting.
A source close to the Chief Minister said late on Wednesday night that N Biren Singh did not physically attend the Kangla Fort meeting but he signed the resolution paper.
“The legislators assured us to convey people’s concerns to the central government within 15 days to ensure the return of peace,” Korounganga Khuman, who is the chief of Arambai Tenggol, told journalists later.
Khuman also quoting the legislators said, "If the Centre does not listen to our concerns, we (legislators) will take the movement to protect Manipur along with the people."
He said by summoning the lawmakers to the Kangla Fort, the outfit wanted to show that ministers and MLAs are answerable to the public.
The ‘Arambai Tenggol’, an organisation of around 50,000 people engaged in guarding villages in the valley areas of the state, came to the limelight largely after the ethnic violence that broke out on May 3 last year. It organised the meeting on Wednesday to discuss six demands.
Khuman said the demands include the removal of Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements signed between the Central and state governments and 23 Kuki militant outfits in 2008, implementation of the National Register of Citizens, India-Myanmar border fencing, replacement of Assam Rifles by another force and removal of illegal Kuki immigrants from the Scheduled Tribe list.
Meanwhile, the state’s all 10 Kuki legislators, including two ministers, asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reimpose the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the Imphal valley.
“Since looting of arms and violence continues till date, the Assam Rifles and the Indian Army be given full powers to recover the arms looted from state police and IRB by re-introducing AFSPA in the Manipur valley as well,” a letter, addressed to Shah and signed by the legislators, read.