BSF personnel and others stand on farmland after Kuki and Meitei villagers pelted stones and slingshots at each other while cultivating a piece of land in the border area of Imphal East district, Manipur, Sunday, June 15, 2025. File | Photo credit: PTI
Two Kuki MLAs from Manipur on Monday (November 17, 2025) said that the community’s legislators had not taken any decision to join the people’s government in the state, as reported in a section of the media.
Several Kuki-Zo organizations recently held a meeting in Guwahati to discuss the state’s situation, but no decision was taken on the legislators joining the people’s government, MLAs Chinlunthang Manlun and Haokholet Haokip said here.
At least 260 people have been killed and thousands made homeless in ethnic clashes between the Kuki-Zo and Meiteis communities since May 2023 in Manipur. The state, which was ruled by a BJP-led coalition, is now under President’s rule after N. Biren Singh resigned as Chief Minister in February.
The assembly was kept in suspended animation.
“There was a discussion on People’s Government in Manipur in Guwahati enclave. However, no decision was taken by Kuki-Zo MLAs to join the formation as claimed. Not all Kuki MLAs were present in the meeting,” Mr Manlun and Mr Haokip said in a statement.
The statement came after a section of the media reported on Monday (November 17, 2025) that all 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs had decided to join the people’s government instead of the incumbent president.
The Kuki-Zo community has ten MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, seven of whom are BJP legislators.
“There have been threadbare discussions on self-governance for the Kuki-Zo community, focusing on the gravity of the current situation and circumstances,” the statement said.
Mr Manlun, MLA from the Kuki Peoples’ Alliance, and independent lawmaker Haokip urged the public not to be swayed by rumours.
Following the ethnic clashes, the people of the Kuki-Zo community are demanding separate administration for the tribe.
10 tribal MLAs belonging to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi group in Manipur have already urged the Center to create a separate administration for their community.
In a separate statement issued by the militant organizations Kuki National Organization and the United People’ Front, signatories to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with the Center and Manipur governments, they also said that no decision has been taken by the Kuki-Zo MLAs to join the people’s government.
“Kuki-Zo MLAs and the collective Kuki-Zo leadership remain committed to achieving the political demand as their top priority,” it said.
Published – 17 Nov 2025 21:25 IST
