Shillong/Imphal, (Samajweekly) With the situation in ethnic violence-devastated Manipur not improving, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Friday said that he has been expecting that President’s Rule will be imposed in the state.
Talking to the media on the sidelines of the 71st Plenary Session of the North East Council (NEC) in Shillong, he said: “The situation in Manipur is not improving. There has to be a solution between the government of India, government of Manipur, and the tribal leaders.”
Asked whether the situation warrants imposition of President’s rule in Manipur, Lalduhoma said: “That is what we are expecting as it has been very long. The situation does not change and sometimes it becomes worse.
“Centre should intervene immediately in the Manipur situation. It is the responsibility of the Home Ministry to resolve the crisis. I have nothing to do about Manipur except to look after the refugees who took shelter in Mizoram.”
He said those people from Manipur after the violence have taken refuge in Mizoram are Indians.
“The Indian Constitution provides that they can settle anywhere in the country. Unless normalcy returns to the state of Manipur, we will look after them.”
Over 13,000 tribals belonging to the Kuki-Zo community from Manipur took shelter in Mizoram due to the ethnic violence.
Lalduhoma also said that people are fleeing from Myanmar to his state for shelter and they were providing relief and shelter to them.
“Soldiers of the Myanmar military keep on coming seeking shelter, we send them back by air. Around 450 army personnel were already sent back to their country.”
Lalduhoma, during his maiden visit to Delhi after assuming office, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to apprise them of the concerns of the Mizos and the issue of Myanmarese refugees, especially with the present proposal by Indian government to fence the border with Myanmar.
He opposed the fencing along the India-Myanmar border arguing that the same community (Kuki-Zo-Chin) tribals are living along both sides of the borders and also pushed for a ‘Greater Mizoram’ as part of Akhand Bharat.
Lalduhoma stated that the wish of people on both sides of the border is to come under one administration, and that the refugees seeking shelter inside Mizoram are not treated differently but as their brethren.
Over 32,000 people from Myanmar have taken refuge in Mizoram since the military coup in February 2021. Another 1,000 people from the Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh had also come to Mizoram.
Since May 3 last year Manipur witnessed unprecedented violent clashes, attacks, counter attacks, and burning of vehicles and government and private properties in more than 10 districts during and after May 3 ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called by the All-Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.
In the around nine-month-long ethnic violence between the non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities, over 190 people have been killed and over 1,500 people injured and over 70,000 people of both communities displaced.
