Kuki-Zo tribals are aghast with Amit Shah's statement in Lok Sabha: ITLF

Filled with shock that the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, is still defending Manipur Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and all Kuki-Zo tribals on Thursday felt that they were let down by Amit Shah for his comments in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday regarding the ethnic conflict in Manipur.

In a press release, Ginza Vualzong said: "The ITLF is aghast that the home minister is still defending Manipur CM Biren Singh, who we consider is the chief architect of the violence. So many innocent people have died under his watch, and violence continues unabated after three months."

The tribals' forum mentioned that many of N. Biren Singh's own ministers have made submissions to the central government saying that law and order has completely collapsed in the state. Despite all this, he is still being feted by the central government instead of being sacked, it alleged.

ITLF appealed the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, to rise above party politics in dealing with the crisis in Manipur.

The leaders also claimed that three months of violence has led to the deaths of more than 130 Kuki-Zo tribals, the displacement of 41,425 tribal civilians and the complete physical and emotional separation of Meiteis and tribals.

The best explanation that the Home Minister can come up with is the entry of refugees from Myanmar, ITLF stated while adding that Mizoram has welcomed more than 40,000 refugees from Myanmar and displaced people from Manipur, and it is still the most peaceful state in India.

The Spokesperson of ITLF, Ginza Vualzong further explained that the Scheduled Tribe demand by the majority community, the government notification on forest reserves which would usurp tribals from their lands, and the demonizing of tribals by the CM and radical Meitei intellectuals were the reasons why the trust deficit grew between Meiteis and tribals, which culminated in the sectarian clashes.

Accusing refugees, who are some of the most deprived and helpless sections in any community, of starting a conflict at this scale is just plain wrong, he added.