Centre's priority is reconciliation between Meiteis, Kuki-Zos, not new govt in Manipur: BJP sources

The central government's current priority is to bring about reconciliation between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos, the two communities embroiled in the ethnic strife in Manipur for over two years, sources have said, ruling out the possibility of any immediate removal of the President's rule in the state.

BJP sources asserted that government formation in the violence-hit northeastern state can be considered only after a rapprochement is brought about between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos, which are the largest communities in Manipur, followed by Nagas.

A BJP MLA, Thokchom Radheshyam Singh, had claimed last month after meeting Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a former Union home secretary, that 44 MLAs are ready to form a government "as per the wishes of people".

He was joined by nine other MLAs in meeting Bhalla and had made it clear that a call on forming the government would be taken by the BJP's national leadership.

Kuki-Zo MLAs have mostly kept away from efforts for the new government formation.

BJP leaders here said MLAs have a right to seek a new government and raise their voice, but handling the ethnic strife is the Centre's immediate priority.

The 60-member assembly, which has been put in suspended animation, at present has 59 MLAs, with one seat vacant due to the death of a legislator. The BJP-led coalition has 44 MLAs.

Manipur has been under the President's Rule since February after BJP leader N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister, amid criticism about his government's handling of the ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos that broke out in May 2023.

Since the beginning of the ethnic strife, in which over 250 people have been killed, Meitei groups maintain that the territorial integrity of the state is non-negotiable in any peace process, while the Kuki-Zo outfits assert that the only solution to resolve the crisis is creating a separate administration for the hill districts where they live.

The Centre has been spearheading efforts to address the grievances of the two communities and restore normalcy in the state. (PTI)