A seismic shift in Manipur politics: ITLF mandates Kuki-Zo assembly members to shun government participation entirely. This edict from the influential tribal outfit underscores irreconcilable divides fueling the state’s year-long ethnic inferno.
Explicitly, no MLA from Kuki-Zo tribes will accept ministerial berths or extend outside support, per ITLF. Born of fury over alleged genocidal policies, the boycott aims to delegitimize a government blamed for 219 deaths and mass atrocities.
Post-election, with BJP commanding 32 seats solo, coalition math alters dramatically sans tribal buy-in. Hill areas, bastions of Kuki support, witness administrative paralysis as MLAs prioritize community advocacy over governance.
Chronicling the strife, May 3, 2023, hill protests against ST status morphed into valley-hill warfare. Kukis decry ‘ethnic cleansing’ via state-backed Meitei radicals; Meiteis allege illegal immigration fueling narco-terror. Over 5,000 arms looted from police stations arm rival factions.
ITLF articulates a vision of self-rule: autonomous districts mirroring Bodoland Territorial Council. They slam Supreme Court inaction on relief pleas and demand Biren Singh’s resignation.
Central paramilitary deployment exceeds 50,000, yet bias claims persist. Economic scars run deep—tea gardens shuttered, schools empty. For Manipur’s 3.2 million, ITLF’s firm line portends prolonged instability, challenging India’s federal fabric and spotlighting Northeast’s unresolved ethnic mosaics.