Image for illustration purposes only. | Photo credit: File
GUWAHATI
Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of the Thadou community in Manipur, urged the Bharatiya Janata Party to repair what it described as the damage done by the National Democratic Alliance in 2003 by introducing the “Any Kuki Tribes” (AKT) category in the state’s Scheduled Tribes list.
TIM said the current NDA government must correct the mistake of the first BJP-led NDA government more than two decades ago “to ensure justice, national security and integrity of Manipur”. The organization had earlier said that foreigners, specifically those crossing from Myanmar, were using the “redundant” ACP category to be considered Scheduled Tribes in India.
“Legislative action in Parliament is needed to remove the ACP category introduced by the NDA government in 2003 from the Scheduled Tribe list in Manipur,” TIM joint general secretary Manggou Thadou said on Friday after members of the organization presented a memorandum to Bharatiya Janata Party leaders BL Santhosh and 2 Samhalbit Patra on Friday (2015).
The TIM team also sought the inclusion of Thadou representatives as legitimate stakeholders in any future government-led dialogue, peace talks or negotiation platforms to ensure long-term peace and restore political stability in Manipur. It said that Manipur deserves a democratically elected government after a long period of President’s rule, effective from 13 February.
TIM further promoted a distinct ethnic identity for the Thadou community. “Thadou is not Kuki, nor under Kuki, nor part of Kuki, but independent of Kuki,” it said.
Manipur has not yet recovered from the ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, which has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced more than 62,000 people since 3 May 2023.
Published – 14 Nov 2025 18:33 IST
