GUWAHATI: Manipur’s Kuki-Zomi-Hmar MLAs condemned the state Assembly’s “one-sided resolution” adopted on Thursday to urge the Centre to abrogate the ‘Suspension of Operations’ (SoO) agreement signed with over two dozen Kuki insurgent groups which come under the umbrella bodies Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF).
The resolution was adopted in the absence of the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar MLAs in the Assembly.
They left the Meitei-majority Imphal valley when the ethnic violence broke out on May 3 last year. They are not returning to the valley due to security reasons.
In a joint statement, the Kuki MLAs said the resolution adopted by the Assembly emanated from “prejudice, bias and hatred for our community” reflecting a myopic view on the issue.
They said the tripartite agreement was first signed on August 22 2008, and renewed periodically with laid down ground rules.
As part of the ground rules, there is a strong mechanism in place called Joint Monitoring Group (JMG), comprising central and state government agencies and KNO and UPF representatives meant to oversee adherence to the ground rules, they said.
“We would like to question whether the resolution adopted by the august House was based on any report or observations of the JMG, which is the only official mechanism to determine whether any violation of the ground rules has taken place or not. This is not the case as the resolution is based on an overwhelming sense of animosity and hatred for a particular community,” the statement said.
It further stated that the tripartite agreement was lauded as the harbinger of peace and security in the state when it was signed and Manipur, particularly the hill districts, witnessed a sea change in the security scenario as the level of violence came down drastically in the years that followed.
The Kuki MLAs said successive governments took their share of credit over improvement in the law and order situation in the state owing to the signing of the agreement.
“The recent signing of a peace accord with an UNLF faction was initiated by the state government and the role played by this outfit during this short period in the current violence is widely known to one and all. The august House resolution would have evinced fairness and peace objective if the role played by the valley-based outfit cited above too was highlighted as it is a clear case for seeking termination of the pact too,” the statement said.
The Kuki MLAs said the resolution was adopted to defame the KNO and the UPF and further alienate the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar community “as part of the continuing hate campaign”.
They appealed to the ministry of Home Affairs to consider all aspects of the issue in a fair and just manner to check further discrimination and alienation of the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people.
The state government has all along sniffed the involvement of the SoO groups in the ethnic violence. Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the resolution was adopted by the Assembly to ensure peace and security in the region.