2 Kuki-Zo MLAs set foot in Imphal for 1st time in 3 years
Two Kuki-Zo MLAs attended the Manipur assembly in Imphal for the first time in three years, defying a community boycott. The move is being framed by the state government as a positive step toward reconciliation amid ongoing ethnic tensions.
Why it matters
This represents a potential, albeit fragile, breakthrough in the long-standing ethnic conflict between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in Manipur.
GUWAHATI: Two Kuki-Zo MLAs travelled to Imphal Wednesday in defiance of a community whip and attended the Manipur assembly session in person for the first time since violence erupted in 2023, creating a hill-valley divide that is still to be bridged.Saikul legislator Kimneo Haokip Hangshing of Kuki Peoples' Alliance (KPA) and Independent MLA Haokholet Kipgen of Saitu, both in Kangpokpi district, chose to be in the assembly for the first day of the session despite Kuki Inpi Manipur's explicit instruction to stay away from Meitei-majority Imphal.Deputy CM Nemcha Kipgen and her BJP colleague, Henglep MLA Letzamang Haokip, attended the session over videoconferencing. Other four Kuki-Zo MLAs from BJP abstained. Manipur has nine Kuki-Zo MLAs, including two from KPA.
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