The Broken Oath of Kangla: Why Meitei Legislators Must Rekindle Their Unity

On January 24, 2024, the hallowed grounds of Kangla Fort bore witness to a moment pregnant with hope. 

Thirty-seven Meitei MLAs and two MPs, including Maharaja Leishemba Sanajaoba and former MEA State Minister RK Ranjan Singh, stood shoulder to shoulder, their voices echoing a solemn vow to shield Manipur’s soul—its integrity, its people, its future. 

Summoned by the Arambai Tenggol, a group that risked life and limb to rally for unity, these legislators pledged to rise above partisan divides and confront the spiraling ethnic violence that has torn the state apart since May 2023. Yet, as Manipur bleeds under the weight of around 300 deaths, 70,000 displaced, and a fractured social fabric, the sacred oath lies in tatters, betrayed by infighting, political opportunism, and a failure to honor the spirit of Kangla. Why did the Meitei legislators falter, and how can they redeem their promise to a grieving people?

The Kangla vow was a sacred trust, its desecration a scar on Manipur’s soul. The people, grieving their losses, cannot forgive this betrayal. Unlike the Kuki-Zo MLAs, whose unity amplifies their voice, the Meitei legislators’ chaos risks ceding Manipur’s future. The sacred vow of Kangla pleads for redemption—infighting is the state’s dirge.

Kangla Fort is no mere relic; it is the beating heart of Meitei identity, where the sacred bow symbolizes resilience and collective will. The 2024 oath was a clarion call to protect the Meitei which reduced to a minority group in Manipur’s 3.2 million people—amid the pre-planned attacked to indigenous Meitei community in Churachandpur by Kuki terrorists on 3rd  May, 2023. The violence has been merciless: 1,500 injured, 4,786 homes razed, and 96 schools turned into relief camps. Arambai Tenggol’s Korounganba Khuman, addressing thousands at Kangla, laid bare the stakes: “The ten Kuki lawmakers stand united, but our Meitei lawmakers are not.” His six demands—abrogating the Suspension of Operations with Kuki militants, implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), removing Assam Rifles, border fencing, revoking ST status for alleged illegal Kuki immigrants, and abolishing the Free Movement Regime—were a roadmap to restore Manipur’s stability.

Also Read: In Manipur, Even Gods Are Barred from Their Ancestral Homes

Yet, the Meitei legislators faltered. Instead of rallying as one, they succumbed to division. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s resignation on February 9, 2025, under pressure from rebel BJP MLAs and a Congress-led no-confidence motion, marked the collapse of governance, culminating in President’s Rule on February 13. Congress MLA Keisham Meghachandra Singh’s February 7, 2025, post on X, dubbing his no-confidence motion a “Brahmastra Missile” to topple the BJP’s “Double Engine,” was a stark betrayal of Kangla’s call for unity. His political gambit, while a Congress victory, fractured the Meitei front, prioritizing party over people.

Rebel BJP MLAs like Thokchom Satyabrata, Thokchom Radheshyam, and Yumnam Khemchand along with 16 legislatures, who penned an October 2024 letter to PM Modi criticizing former CM N Biren, offered no solutions for the displaced Meiteis languishing in relief camps. 

Further, when the NDA MLAs boycotted Biren’s February 9 meeting, the Kangla vow became a distant memory, its sanctity drowned in blame games. Instead, the challenge against N Biren has strengthened the Kuki Zo legislators and their supporters, including ITLF and COTU, since May 2023. It led to a push for separate administration and a prolonged instability in Manipur.

The Kuki-Zo MLAs offer a piercing contrast. Their ten legislators—seven BJP, two Kuki People’s Alliance, one Independent—have forged an unbreakable alliance since the 2023 violence. Condemning Biren’s policies, such as the February 2023 eviction drives that razed tribal lands and the scrapping of Kuki peace deals, they have demanded a separate administration, land rights, and security. Their December 2024 Jantar Mantar vigil and X posts exposing Biren’s misleading Supreme Court claims amplified their cause. 

Paolienlal Haokip, a Kuki BJP MLA, called President’s Rule a “step toward our political solution,” while Ginza Vualzong of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum saw it as a “ray of hope.” 

On May 16, 2025, a joint meeting of Kuki-Zo MLAs, civil society organizations, and SoO groups in Guwahati resolved to disengage with the Government of India until substantive dialogue resumes, showcasing a unity that binds stakeholders for the common good.

Meitei MLAs, by contrast, have squandered their 40-seat strength. Their obsession with ousting N Biren—evident in the NPP’s November 2024 withdrawal of support and JD(U)’s brief rebellion—has left displaced Meiteis without advocates. The NRC remains unimplemented, border fencing is incomplete, and ST status for alleged illegal immigrants persists. The Arambai Tenggol’s demands, meant to safeguard Manipur, were dismissed as a “display of power” by critics, with Congress MLAs alleging coercion at Kangla. One MLA, speaking anonymously, claimed, “Dissent meant attacks on our homes. Those who refused the oath were beaten.” Whether true or exaggerated, such narratives shows the Meitei legislators’ failure to project unity or purpose, ceding moral ground to the Kuki-Zo’s cohesive advocacy.

Recent efforts suggest a faint pulse of redemption. On May 14, 2025, 15 MLAs met at N. Biren Singh’s residence to discuss restoring a popular government, a move that briefly lifted public spirits. The next day, seven MLAs—Karam Shyam, Y Khemchand, Kh Joykishan, S Rajen, Govindas Konthoujam, Kh Ibomcha, Dr Yumnam Radheshyam and Sapam Keba have a closed-door meeting, only to came out in the media the next day. Whitewashing their agendas as the meeting was simply convened to address safe highway passage and the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Kh Ibomcha clarified that leadership was not discussed, as the Centre would decide the Chief Minister. Yet, these meetings, while promising, lack transparency.

Whenever Sambit Patra, the BJP Northeast In-charge, visits Manipur, he holds closed-door, one-on-one meetings with a select group of leaders. If these discussions truly serve the interests of the people and are unrelated to leadership changes, why the secrecy? Why not utilize the BJP State unit’s auditorium for transparent, open dialogue? Again, the rumours of a May 19 meeting at Karam Shyam’s residence and lingering divisions—evident in the absence of a joint meeting promised in February—suggest that personal ambitions still simmer, threatening to spoil the broth.

Meanwhile the ex-Chief Minister Okram Ibobi’s critique of the Speaker Satyabrata’s refusal to list a Private Member Resolution on the Kangla Meefam exposes the legislature’s inertia. The public, weary of excuses, demands clarity: Are the legislators’ hearts with Manipur, or are they chasing political carrots?

Manipur’s agony is a festering wound. The 70,000 displaced people face a future as bleak as the relief camps where education has collapsed. A failed October 2024 meeting, where Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga MLAs refused to share a room, epitomizes the ethnic divide. While Kuki-Zo MLAs push for a separate administration, Meitei MLAs offer silence on rehabilitation or abrogation of SoO, allowing separatist shadows to grow. The Centre, urged by 21 MLAs to restore a popular government, faces a herculean task of addressing land rights and ethnic reconciliation. But the onus lies on the Meitei legislators to rise above their feuds.

The Meitei legislators must remember their Kangla vows—not as a fleeting spectacle, but as a covenant with their people. The sacred oath was a promise to transcend party lines, to protect Manipur’s integrity, and to heal its wounds. Political pressures, rebel factions, and personal ambitions have fractured this resolve, but it is not too late. The legislators must come together, as they did on that day in 2024, to serve the people and safeguard Manipur’s future. It would be a mockery to see 40 MLAs struggle to counter just 10 Kuki Zo legislators, raising serious questions about political strength and strategy. If an unexpected political shift occurs during this period, future generations may judge it harshly, holding Meitei legislatures accountable for their actions—or inaction.

Only through unity can they restore trust, rehabilitate the displaced, and secure Manipur’s future.  The soul of Kangla demands nothing less—a fractured state cannot endure, but a united Manipur can rise. Let the legislators heed the silent cry of the sacred bow and act as one, for the people and for the future of their beloved land.