Guwahati, Feb 12: The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has strongly condemned the recent statement issued by the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) and Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), which it said, “clearly reflects their strategy of adapting to shifting political circumstances in order to achieve their ultimate goal of separate administration.”
“COTU and ITLF have consistently sought new justifications to sustain unrest, making their own people suffer while capitalising on their discontent to push their vested political agenda. Even when the chief minister of Manipur was assumed to be stepping down for the larger good, COTU found another pretext to continue their movement for separate administration,” a statement issued by Laikhuram Jayenta, convenor, IPR sub-committee, COCOMI, said.
“It is now evident that whatever reasons or justifications COTU/ITLF and its allies put forth, their sole objective remains the same, which is to create circumstances that validate their long-standing demand for separate administration,” Jayenta stated.
“Their agenda has evolved and escalated over time, from seeking separate administration to creating an exclusive Kukiland, further advocating for a merger with Mizoram under the concept of Greater Mizoram, then to a proposed Zoland or Zalengam, and ultimately aligning with the Chin State of Myanmar with aspirations for a larger Christian state under the Burma Act of the United States,” he stated.
“COCOMI urges the Government of India to recognise this systematic agenda and take firm measures to hold accountable any individual, organisation, or group that justifies instability and violence as a means to pursue their political ambitions. The people of Manipur deserve peace, stability and a resolution that upholds the integrity of the state,” he added.
