Activist sheds light on Manipur’s plight; urges immediate action against Kuki militants

LUCKNOW Social activist Maheshwar Thounaojam, who is also the national secretary of the Republican Party of India (RPI-Athawale) and a representative of the Meitei community, visited Lucknow to draw attention to the plight of people in Manipur, which has witnessed large-scale violence for the last few months.

He said, “As citizens of India, Meiteis feel that there is an urgent need to strictly implement the NRC in Manipur. The ongoing clashes should be considered a national threat, and the Kuki narco-terrorists should be expelled from Indian soil as soon as possible. The agreement with the Kuki militants should be terminated, as they have been involved in various illegal activities, including breaking all the ground rules.”

Addressing a press conference here in Lucknow on Monday, Thounaojam said, “May 3, 2023, the day when the ethnic violence erupted, will remain a dark day in Manipur. However, it should be noted that the Kuki narco-terrorists had been planning it for a very long time. The chief minister of Manipur initiated a campaign called the ‘War on Drugs’ to put an end to poppy cultivation and illegal drug trafficking in Manipur. Over time, efforts to preserve the reserved forests also commenced. On May 3, they organised a rally against the inclusion of Meiteis in the Schedule Tribe list, which was merely a ruse to facilitate the ethnic cleansing of the Meiteis from the Kuki-dominated areas. Unlike the Naga-dominated areas, there was no violence.”