NPF has blamed the Congress for sowing the seeds of Manipur's present crisis through the 2008 SoO agreement and defended the recent meeting of Naga MLAs with Amit Shah.
Imphal, June 28: The Naga People's Front (NPF) on Sunday accused the Congress party of laying the foundation for the present ethnic conflict in Manipur by signing the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups in 2008, while also defending the recent meeting of Naga legislators with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
Addressing a press conference at the NPF office in Langol Tarung, NPF Manipur unit president Awangbou Newmai said the ongoing tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities, as well as the more recent conflict involving Naga and Kuki groups, could be traced back to policy decisions taken by the Congress government.
The remarks came a day after Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president K. Meghachandra questioned the decision of Naga MLAs from Manipur to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi along with Nagaland Chief Minister and NPF president Dr. Neiphiu Rio and other Nagaland leaders. Meghachandra had sought clarification from Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on whether the Manipur legislators had lost confidence in the state government by raising Manipur-related issues outside the state.
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Responding to those allegations, Awangbou said the Congress party should first reflect on its own role in creating the circumstances that led to the present crisis instead of criticising meetings aimed at finding solutions.
"The seeds of the present crisis in Manipur were sown by the Congress Party," he said.
According to Awangbou, the SoO agreement signed with Kuki militant groups in 2008 during the tenure of the Congress-led governments at both the Centre and in Manipur fundamentally altered the state's security and administrative landscape.
"The SoO was signed with Kuki militants in 2008 when the Congress party was in power both at the Centre and the State. When did the Indian Army ever carry out operations against the Kuki militants? How was the SoO signed?" he asked.
He further alleged that more than forty designated camps were subsequently established across Manipur under the agreement.
"More than forty designated camps were opened and kept across various parts of Manipur. Along with this, the work of bifurcating several new districts in the state was also taken up in 2016. Honestly speaking, the work they took up was not for proper administration in Manipur," he claimed.
The NPF leader argued that if the SoO agreement had not been signed, the present conflict between communities would not have reached its current level.
"What the Congress party needs to realize and ponder upon is that this would not have happened if they had not signed the SoO with the Kuki militants. The crisis happening today between the Kuki and Meetei, as well as between the Naga and Kuki, has all been caused by the signing of the SoO with Kuki militants," he said.
The SoO agreement was signed in 2008 between the Government of India, the Government of Manipur and two umbrella organisations representing several Kuki insurgent groups—the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF). The agreement suspended military operations against participating groups while requiring designated cadres to stay inside notified camps under agreed ground rules.
Since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023, the functioning of the SoO arrangement has become a major point of political debate, with several organisations accusing armed cadres operating under the agreement of involvement in the conflict. Kuki organisations, however, have consistently rejected such allegations.
Awangbou also questioned what he described as the Congress party's inconsistent political position on the present crisis.
"It is unclear whether the Congress Party is playing with the emotions of the people to misguide them for the elections, or if they are working to bring out the actual truth of the ongoing crisis. Truly, it is not clear where their real stance lies," he said.
He added that political parties should prioritise public welfare over electoral interests.
"A political party should exist for the welfare of the people. However, the Congress party works only by looking at their own beneficial advantages."
The NPF leader further said the Congress should acknowledge what he described as its own mistakes instead of repeatedly criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur.
"Instead of crying over the Prime Minister not visiting Manipur, it would be much better for the Congress party to admit that the actions they committed were wrong," he said.
Awangbou also defended the recent meeting between Naga legislators, senior NPF leaders and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying the Congress had misunderstood both the purpose of the meeting and the role of the NPF as a regional political party.
"The Congress Party misleading the public regarding the recent meeting of Naga MLAs with the Union Home Minister in Delhi shows a lack of understanding of the political party system functioning in India. Along with this, they seem to lack a clear understanding of the political party called NPF," he said.
He noted that the NPF was established in 1963 and described it as the first regional political party in Northeast India.
According to Awangbou, the meeting involving NPF president and Nagaland Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio, senior party leaders and Amit Shah was held as part of the party's responsibility to raise issues affecting the region before the Union government.
"The meeting of NPF President and Nagaland Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio, along with senior leaders of the party, with Amit Shah was an interaction representing a political party concerning the ongoing crisis. This is a duty and responsibility that a party ought to take," he said.
He said one of the important issues raised during the meeting was the recent killing of six Naga civilians at Leilon Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district.
"The NIA has taken up the case regarding the recent killing of six innocent Naga civilians at Leilon Vaiphei. The visit was to urge for a speedy conclusion of this case and to press for bringing stability quickly by resolving the crises occurring in the Northeast region," he said.
The killing of the six civilians has heightened tensions between Naga and Kuki organisations, with several Naga civil society groups demanding swift action against those responsible and greater protection for Naga-inhabited areas.
Concluding his remarks, Awangbou urged political parties to focus on restoring peace rather than engaging in blame games.
He said the Congress had failed to acknowledge its own shortcomings while remaining preoccupied with criticising others.
"The Congress Party does not acknowledge its own faults and remains focused only on looking at the flaws of others. Instead of this, it is proper to look at one's own faults first," he said.
He also recalled the prolonged Naga-Kuki conflict of the 1990s, stating that a major ethnic conflict had occurred when the Congress was in power and had continued for several years, resulting in the loss of around one thousand lives.
"Reflecting on all of this, instead of blaming a party, it is more correct to work towards bringing peace to Manipur," Awangbou added.
