‘Don’t interfere’: Why Manipur CM Biren Singh has hit out at Mizoram’s Zoramthanga

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has lashed out at his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga for attending a solidarity rally for the Kuki-Zo tribal people of the violence-hit state. Singh has asked the Mizoram chief minister “not to interfere” in the “internal matters” of another state.

Manipur has been on the boil since 3 May, when ethnic clashes broke out between the majority Meiteis and the tribal Kuki-Zo community. The effect of the violence has also been seen in neighbouring Mizoram, with the state, as per NDTV, sheltering 13,000 internally displaced Kuki-Zo tribe people who had to flee Manipur.

Let’s take a closer look at why the Manipur chief minister has hit out at his Mizoram counterpart.

Solidarity rally in Mizoram

On Tuesday (25 July), thousands of people hit the streets in Mizoram to express solidarity with the Kuki-Zo people in Manipur.

As per India Today NE, the rallies were organised across the state by the NGO Co-ordination Committee (NGOCC), a group of five major civil society organisations including the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) and Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP).

Mizoram’s Mizos and Kukis in Manipur share a deep ethnic bond. The Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribes come under the larger “Zo” ethnic umbrella.

In the capital of Aizawl, the ‘Solidarity March’ saw the presence of Chief Minister Zoramthanga, his deputy Tawnluia, state ministers, and several lawmakers cutting across party lines.

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According to The Hindu, the demonstrators condemned the Central and Manipur governments over “brutal attacks” on the tribal people and sexual assaults on Kuki-Zo women.

In a statement, NGOCC, as per The Hindu, said: “So far, 359 churches and quarters have been destroyed, 197 villages burnt, 7,247 homes damaged by fire and 41,425 people have been forced to leave Manipur. Many students studying in Manipur cannot continue their studies due to this ethnic conflict. This may have far-reaching effects on the lives of the students and even the country as a whole”.

NGOCC hairman R Lalngheta called on the Narendra Modi-led Central government to take “immediate steps to address the sufferings of the Zo people in Manipur”, reported India Today NE.

The offices of Zoramthanga’s ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Zoram People’s Movement were closed in support of the rallies, as per PTI.

MNF is a member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. The party is also a member of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) in the region.

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Manipur CM reacts

Manipur’s Biren Singh, who belongs to the dominant Meitei community, said at an event to mark the Kargil Vijay Diwas on Wednesday, “I ask the Mizoram chief minister not to interfere in the internal matter of another state,” reported NDTV.

As per Scroll.in, the Manipur chief minister also claimed that abusive slogans were shouted against him at the solidarity rally in Aizawl.

Speaking to News18, Singh said he has conveyed his disappointment over Zoramthanga’s presence at the rally to a Mizoram minister.

“It is very unfortunate. The rally organised by the people is democracy. But the involvement of the CM in that particular rally, that’s unfortunate. I respect him (Zoramthanga) as a senior, but he has gone beyond ethics. A chief minister should not interfere in other states’ affairs. That goes for me too. I cannot interfere in or comment on something happening in Assam or Mizoram without the chief ministers’ consent. That is the protocol,” the Manipur BJP leader told News18.

He also claimed that Manipur is moving towards peace, with normalcy returning to the majority of the areas.

Singh has been under fire since the 4 May video of two Kuki tribal women being stripped and paraded in Manipur went viral last week. The Opposition has demanded his removal, accusing him of adopting a lax attitude in taking action against sex crimes and failing to curb the violence in the state.

In an opinion piece in India Today NE, Manipur BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip alleged that chief minister Singh “is known to be hand in glove” with radical groups like Meitei Leepun and Arambai Tenggol, who, he said, were “the main executors of the ethnic cleansing of Kuki Zo community”.

Singh, who has refused to step down despite pressure, said on Wednesday the fight in Manipur was between the government and those “who want to disturb peaceful co-existence in the state.”

“Tension began when the state government started to act against drug cartels… The Manipur government is not against the Kuki community who are living in the state,” PTI quoted him as saying.

Earlier, BJP leaders admitted to Hindustan Times (HT) that Singh “was seen as a leader of only the Meitei people and had lost the trust of the Kukis”.

Manipur govt, Centre should ‘do more’

Zoramthanga told The Quint recently that the Manipur government and the Centre should “do more” for the violence-hit state, adding that he believed “they tried their best but trying their best is not good enough."

“They should do more because there is a lot of suffering, a lot of deaths, and a lot of shameful things that have happened (in Manipur). And in order to solve the issue, both the Manipur government and the Central government should do more,” the Mizoram chief minister told the digital news outlet.

When asked if his Manipur counterpart should step down, Zoramthanga told The Quint, “It is up to Biren Singh to resign or not… He should consult with the BJP leaders in Delhi. Looking at what is happening, they will know best what to do.”

On whether President’s Rule should be imposed in Manipur, he said the decision should be taken by Singh’s government and the Centre “as they know better what will be the best.”

Earlier in July, referring to Kuki-Zomis as “my Manipuri Zo ethnic brethren”, the Mizoram chief minister had called for “immediate restoration of peace and normalcy.”

With inputs from agencies