Manipur BJP Spokesperson Writes To PM, Asks Not To Renew Controversial Deal With Insurgents

A BJP spokesperson from the Thadou tribe in Manipur has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider the Manipur assembly's unanimous resolution in February 2024 that called for not extending the controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement signed with Kuki, Zomi and Hmar insurgent groups.

The last deadline to extend the tripartite SoO agreement signed between the two dozen insurgent groups and the Centre and the state government was February 29, 2024.

Broadly under the SoO agreement, the insurgents have to follow strict ground rules like not recruiting more militants and not carrying out highway extortion, apart from staying in designated camps with their firearms in jointly monitored locked storages.

"As per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, public order falls under the State List. On 29 February 2024, the current 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, where the BJP holds the majority, unanimously resolved against any extension of the SoO agreement with UPF/KNO by the government of India," Manipur BJP spokesperson T Michael Lamjathang Haokip said in a letter to PM Modi.

"Ignoring this decision would not only violate the Constitution but also undermine the democratic mandate of the people of Manipur. I urge the government of India to honour this resolution and uphold the federal principles of our democracy," Mr Haokip said in the letter.

The Thadou tribe leader's house in Kuki-dominant Churachandpur district was attacked twice by armed mobs in 2024. Mr Haokip maintains he has been raising awareness about the Thadou community as a distinct tribe, and not under the Kuki nomenclature amid the ethnic tension in Manipur.

Mr Haokip said it would be a mistake to treat the armed groups under the SoO agreement as "partners in peace".

"Continuing to patronise insurgent groups in the hills of Manipur risks creating man-made, human-triggered volcanoes that will inevitably erupt. lt is time to treat such groups for what they are: militants, not partners in peace," Mr Haokip said in the letter.

If, however, the SoO agreement has to be extended, it should be done only after a popular government is reinstated in Manipur, Mr Haokip said, adding any future decision on this [SoO agreement] matter should be taken after a broad-based consultation with all the affected stakeholders, including indigenous groups from both the hill and valley regions, particularly Thadou tribe leaders and community.

Mr Haokip alleged the government appears "unable to enforce the agreed ground rules, and [so] any further extension serves no meaningful purpose."

"Mere reduction of designated camps is not a solution; it only amounts to shifting responsibility without addressing the core problem," Mr Haokip said in the letter.

The two dozen Kuki, Zomi and Hmar insurgent groups come under two umbrella groups - the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and the United People's Front (UPF). These two representing the others have signed the SoO agreement.

The Manipur Police for the first time confirmed in September 2024 the involvement of insurgents who are part of the SoO agreement in the ethnic violence. The police also, for the first time, confirmed the involvement of the Meitei insurgent group UNLF (P), which had signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre and the state, in the ethnic violence.

Earlier this month, a member of the Kuki National Army (KNA) which is a signatory to the SoO agreement, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for attacking a police post and killing two commandos in Manipur's border town Moreh in January 2024.