New Delhi: Members of the Manipur legislative assembly belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party organised a sit-in protest at the Jantar Mantar in the national capital, against their own party’s governments in the Union and the state, for failing to control the violence in the state.
The protest occurred on December 10, human rights day.
Ethnic violence that began on May 3, 2023, has claimed upwards of 250 lives and displaced 60,000 people, forcing them into relief camps and leaving the state divided.
Seven out of the 10 MLAs of the state belonging to the minority Kuki community – L.M. Khaute, Lepao Haokip, Letzamang Haokip, Vungzagin Valte, Paolienlal Haokip, Chinlunthang, and Ngursanglur Sanate – were present at the protest in New Delhi. MLAs wore black masks.
Valte, in a wheelchair, was among the first victims of the violence that erupted in Manipur. The 61-year-old had been advisor to chief minister Biren Singh before the violence began.
One of the MLAs told The Wire before the protests took off that their demands were clear and widely known, “except apparently to the Union government.”
In a press note which was issued during the silent protest, the MLAs said they had decided against any media statements, stating: “We have been ignored by the government of India for the past 19 months,” they said.
Their demands were displayed on banners which said: ‘Remove Modi ji,’ ‘Achchhe Din = Tribals and Minorities will be lent only deaf ears?’ and ‘Please stop state-sponsored ethnic pogrom in Manipur.’
The MLAs had made several attempts to meet with prime minister Narendra Modi, but they were either turned away or received no response to the letters they sent to him.
The chief minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, was only granted a meeting with the prime minister in July 2024, a year into the ongoing violence, but was allegedly given only 15 minutes to discuss the issue.
Demands
A day after the silent protest, a memorandum signed by all 10 Kuki MLAs was submitted to the prime minister, outlining their demands:
- The central government considers routing funds for development projects in critical sectors like healthcare, education, roads, and water supply directly to district authorities, based on the recommendations of elected representatives from those districts.
- Expedite political dialogue to resolve the current ethnic conflict at the earliest.
In the memorandum, the MLAs also reminded the Union government about the dire situation in Manipur, “where the government has failed to supply lifesaving drugs and essential supplies to the hill areas.” They allege that the Meitei have stopped supplying goods to these areas.
The MLAs also highlighted concerns over how the funds have allegedly been mismanaged by the Manipur government, stating:
“Despite the prolonged and chronic discrimination faced by the Hill Districts in terms of development by the successive Meitei-majoritarian state government, it is disheartening to see this discrimination worsen during the ongoing conflict over the past 19 months.”
The memorandum alleged that the Manipur government failed to recommend and deliberately excluded the hill districts from receiving Central Financial Assistance under PM-Devine NE for the project ‘Providing Super Speciality and Assured Speciality Health Care in Remote and Hill Districts (Infrastructure and Equipment)’, “amounting to Rs 10,466.11 lakhs.”
It also said that the recent approval for the construction of 57 roads in Manipur under the Central Roads and Infrastructure Fund, amounting to Rs. 201.50 crores, only includes roads in the valley and that no roads in the hill districts were included in the list.
Opposition MPs have consistently demanded a parliamentary debate on the situation in Manipur and have sought an appointment with the prime minister to address the crisis.