Two Manipur leaders question Kuki MLA’s ST status, demand disqualification

Two leaders representing the Meitei and Thadou communities have jointly petitioned President Droupadi Murmu seeking the disqualification of Saikot BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip, raising questions about his eligibility as a legislator. 
The petition alleges that Haokip’s Scheduled Tribe (ST) status is “dubious” and that he was first enrolled as a voter only at the age of 46.

Haokip, a BJP legislator from Churachandpur district and one of the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs demanding a separate administrative arrangement, dismissed the charges as “funny and ridiculous.” He has also been a vocal critic of former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who resigned earlier this year before the Centre imposed President’s Rule in Manipur.

The affidavit was submitted by Michael Lamjathang Haokip of the Thadou Inpi Manipur and Mayanglambam Bobby of the Meitei body Peoples’ Alliance for Peace and Progress. They claimed Haokip, born in 1974, should have been eligible to vote since 1992 but was registered as a voter only in 2021-22, shortly before contesting elections in 2022. They also alleged anomalies in electoral records, pointing out that while Haokip’s age is listed as 46, his daughter is recorded as 42, leaving only a four-year gap.

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The petition further questions Haokip’s claim of belonging to the “Any Kuki Tribe (AKT)” category. According to the petitioners, the “Any Kuki Tribe” classification was not part of Manipur’s Scheduled Tribe list in 1974 and was reintroduced only in 2002-03, casting doubt on his tribal status.

Accusing him of “engineering” the ethnic unrest in Manipur, the leaders argued that Haokip had personal stakes as the Biren Singh-led government had earlier proposed to remove “Any Kuki Tribe” from the ST list.

Rejecting the claims, Haokip told PTI: “The allegations are ridiculous. I don’t even know whether to laugh at them or take them seriously.”

The petition has added another layer of controversy in Manipur’s fraught political landscape as the state continues to grapple with ethnic tensions under President’s Rule.