IMPHAL: Amidst the demand for the ‘Alternative Arrangement’ by the Nagas of Manipur outside the state government, the Kukis on Wednesday held rallies demanding a statehood for the Kukis.
A mass rally was taken out on Wednesday by the Kukis under the banner, “In demand of Kuki ancestral lands for Kuki state” at Churachandpur district headquarters in south Manipur and at Moreh town in Chandel district of Manipur participated by many thousands.
The rally took out at Churachandpur, organized under the aegis of Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC), was started from Public ground and stopped at Peace Ground in the district.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the public meeting, KSDC chairman Chonthalien said Wednesday’s mass rally was organized for the first time by KSDC to push the demand for a Kuki state.
The statehood demand for the Kukis was made in its first time representation submitted by the Kuki National Assembly (KNA) to Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India in 1960, he noted.
KSDC also submitted a memorandum to the Government of India in this regard back in 2010, he said demanding formation of a separate Kuki state comprising of Churachandpur, Chandel districts, Sadar Hills and adjoining Kuki inhabited areas.
KSDC also said the Kukis, prior to the British colonial incursions into the region, governed themselves under the benign and capable leadership of their chiefs and enjoyed full freedom over their ancestral territory.
The Kukis assert their inalienable right of “self-determination” by virtue of their historical consciousness and distinct nationality within a definite territory of their own since time immemorial, it said.
Claiming that the Kukis are peace loving people, KSDC said the quest for statehood is founded on their demand for a rightful identity in the political firmament of the country and added that it is the duty of the Government of India to uphold the right of the Kukis to live as free people in their ancestral homeland, enjoying civil rights.
KSDC also blamed the State government of pursuing determined policies and programme, Acts and Amendments to annex Kukis’ ancestral lands and infringe their rights like denial of Sadar Hills district, tribal protection under Sixth Schedule, denial of Eight Schedule, disparity in development, rendering Hill areas committee non-functional, denial of representation, land alienation and annexation of tribal land through state administrative mechanisms, which is being taken up by Committee on Protection of Tribal Areas, Manipur (COPTAM) and meddling by the State Government with chieftains’ rights to deprive them of their land. (NNN)