KIM deplores Amit Shah's statement in Parliament; says unparliamentarian speech

The Kuki Inpi Manipur strongly deplored the statement made by the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, during the Parliament monsoon session August 9, which the Kuki apex body said is gravely shocking and unparliamentarian speech.

KIM said: "The remark is extremely unfortunate and dismaying as it is largely speculative with no valid proof or evidence. The present carnage in Manipur has no link whatsoever with the much-hyped ‘influx’ of Kukis into Manipur or Mizoram. The Meiteis’ insecurity to ‘influx of Kukis’ from Myanmar into Manipur is over-hyped and out of fierce jealousy compounded with their antagonism and nothing more than that. Besides, Kukis who are living outside Manipur have no influence to create troubles in Manipur."

In a press statement on Sunday, Secretary Information and Publicity, KIM, Janghaolun Haokip said echoing N.Biren Singh’s prejudicial statements, false allegations and concocted narratives in the temple of democracy by a minister as high as the calibre of union home minister without objective analysis/empirical evidence is abhorrent, nonsensical and disastrous. The Union Home Minister has not only obliterated but also negated the Kukis of their history, origin and identity, he said.

"Alas! Shri Amit Shah has sacrificed the Kukis at the altar of N.Biren Singh," Janghaolun said.

KIM pointed out a matter of the fact that the development in Myanmar has a very serious ramification in Manipur – that, the secessionist Valley Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs) who otherwise were given refuge in Myanmar by the military junta could no longer enjoy protection from the junta due to the intensified pro-democracy uprising. The bases of these anti-national elements, who are involved in numerous subversive and anti-national activities in Manipur/India from the soil of Myanmar, became vulnerable and unsafe following the disturbances in Myanmar. As such, the Biren Singh Government in Manipur received immense pressure from the VBIGs operating in Myanmar, seeking protection, KIM stated while adding that in his attempt to accommodate the VBIGs, Mr. Biren Singh misled and misinformed the Centre about the Kukis.

Janghaolun alleged that Biren Singh and VBIGs’ frontal organisations such as COCOMI’s fabricated charges against the Kukis and even launched an ethnic cleansing campaign against them so as to expand and consolidate Meiteis’ influence in every part of Manipur, particularly in Kuki areas. It was with this milieu that Biren Singh started scheming anti-Kuki policies and imposing the majoritarian rule on the Kukis, he said.

KIM also to be noted that the Kukis are being kept subjugated, deprived and oppressed by the Meiteis since ages. Biren’s policy against the Kukis has crossed all the tolerable limits; all these enormities on the Kukis are being done at the behest of the secessionist VBIGs.

KIM further said,: "It’s not only deeply shocking but also gravely alarming to project the Kukis in a bad, damaging light who had enormous contributions to India’s Freedom Struggle (1942-45) by joining the Indian National Army under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose besides fighting against the British colonialists in the Anglo-Kuki War (1917-1919) for three consecutive years-the brave feats of which no other tribes in the whole northeast have to cherish of."

The Kuki apex body claimed that the origin, history and identity of any nation or community is best known only by ‘themselves’, not by ‘others’ who maligned and dehumanized them in an attempt to grab their God-endowed land and natural resources.

In view of the alleged grave blunder and gross injustices meted out to the Kukis, the Kuki Inpi Manipur stated that it was prudent on the part of the Union Home Minister to rise above party politics/political vendetta, and thereby asked Amit Shah to clarify his parliament’s speech with evidence, if any, and disown his statement by tendering apology to the aggrieved Kukis in case he failed to produce concrete evidence on the “origin of the present conflict vis-a-vis Kuki refugees from Myanmar.”