A Manipuri youth body in Assam has claimed that the ruling Mizoram National Front (MNF), which is led by Chief Minister Zoramthanga, is attempting to split Manipur by helping the Kukis, who are engaged in violence amid clashes between groups that are causing bloodshed in the state of Manipur.
The youth body also alleged that the Mizoram Chief Minister is trying to disrupt the peace initiatives in Manipur.
The All Assam Manipuri Youths’ Association (AAMYA) said that Mizoram is secretly backing the demand for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people in Manipur to split the state.
“Many illegal Kuki migrants from Myanmar entered Manipur through Mizoram, which provided shelter to them. Not all Kukis participate in violence, but one group is in control of the rest due to MNF’s backing,” Kshetrimayam Kundal Singha, the chief advisor for AAMYA, claimed on Thursday.
However, he also said that just 25 per cent of Kukis in Manipur are involved in violence, and the majority of them are undocumented immigrants.
Singha also claimed that MNF was punished by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for plotting against India.
“They want a separate land, which won’t be possible,” Singha said.
The AAMYA leader also accused Zoramthanga of disrupting the peace initiatives in ethnic violence-hit Manipur.
The AAMYA had earlier issued a statement warning Mizoram of a harsh lesson if it continues to embrace the idea of a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people in Manipur.
The youth body wrote in the statement, “AAMYA appeals to the ruling Mizo National Front to withdraw within three days, w.e.f. 14/06/2023, their support for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people in Manipur or else AAMYA will be bound to launch some serious moves very soon that will make the whole of Mizoram study its topography seriously like never before.”
The AAMYA said that they were grateful to Mizoram for providing food to the Churachandpur region of Manipur for humanitarian reasons, but that the MNF-led administration needs to act as a peacemaker and cease encouraging the Kukis to attack Meiteis.
“AAMYA appeals to Mizoram to play the role of an effective peace-broker, rather than a mischievous guardian of Kukis instigating bloodshed and chaos,” the statement read.
“Kukis by nature are ambitious and cruel and believe in brute actions. Their demand for a separate administration is a part of the ‘Kukiland’ agenda to stay separate from India in the long run,” the statement added.
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